Former coach Ravi Shastri has backed India to win the Boxing Day Test, saying the visitors have exploited Australia's "brittle" top order to have their "nose ahead" in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins had a special message for the 19-year-old debutant Sam Kontas, urging the batter to enjoy being a part of the Boxing Day Test, and not overthink it.
'I wanted people to know me for who I am, because a lot of times, Ashwin's picking up a wicket and Virat Kohli is all over the place.'
'He's just jumping about, and people very often tend to believe that Ashwin's the one that's absolutely serious and Virat's the one that's having all the fun.'
Mohammed Shami will make his long-awaited comeback to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy.
Pakistan's ODI series victory in Australia showcased the raw pace and skill of their fast bowling attack, spearheaded by Haris Rauf.
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
'The ball is different, the wicket is different. But I think we know that. I think we are ready mentally.'
Gautam Gambhir's position as India's head coach is under scrutiny following a string of disappointing results and reports of discontent within the team.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri says the stylish batter should go in with a clear mindset, change his tactics, and attack the bowlers.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who knows a thing or two about grinding the Australian attack in their den, backs K L Rahul to bat at the vital number three slot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He says the swashbuckling Yashasvi Jaiswal is capable of doing what David Warner did in his prime.
'You have to think positive and play positively only then you will get a positive result.'
Choose Your India team for the first ODI against England in Nagpur.
Lyon is just 34 wickets away from surpassing Glenn McGrath to become Australia's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests.
It was India's fourth loss in the current WTC cycle, causing their PCT to drop from 68.06 to 62.82.
After being bundled out for 150 in their first innings, India staged a sensational fightback to humble Australia by 295 runs in the first Test in Perth on Monday
Brook is fourth in the list of highest run-scorers in 2024 behind table-topper Root, India's Yashasvi Jaiswal (1,478 runs at 54.74) and England's Ben Duckett (1,149 runs at 37.06).
With an unprecedented 3-0 Test series whitewash on home soil, 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar stepped forward and admitted that maybe it is time for India to have an "introspection."
'If we play well against those two (Ashwin, Jadeja), we'll generally find ourselves in a better position compared to when they've had a field day and run through us.'
'I won't name her; she's very successful and experienced.'
Former Australia opener David Warner on Tuesday said he is willing to come out of retirement and play against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, if the home team needs him in the opening slot.
'I'm leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer.'
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram explained how Bumrah's release point is at least a foot closer to the batters than any other bowler, making it that much difficult to pick the length.
Head has dominated the batting chart with 409 runs in the first three Tests with two hundreds and a fifty, and former Australia captain Chappell believes his simplicity and aggression are behind his success as a Test batter.
Dhruv Jurel has made a compelling case for inclusion in India's playing XI for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Australia's batting great Ricky Ponting on Friday said he was 'surprised' by the Indian camp's wording around Rohit Sharma's absence from the Sydney Test.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has backed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to bounce back in the Champions Trophy, expressing confidence in their ability to lead India to success.
Young Sam Konstas took the world by surprise with his aggressive approach in the Boxing Day Test, and the skipper lauded the teenager's adaptability.
Rahul will come in place of Baba Indrajith, who scored 9 and 6 and didn't look comfortable at all against pace and bounce, which wasn't exactly 125 clicks.
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne described wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as the most "amusing" player in the Indian team, ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series between the fierce rivals.
Images from the fourth T20 International between India and England in Pune on Friday.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is expecting the upcoming series against India to be a survival of the fittest.
Australia opener Nathan McSweeney is gearing up for a challenging debut against India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
'They have a fine spin bowling attack and some good players who have done well for a long time.'
'In my mind, it was very clear you can't do worse than that (Adelaide). You'll have a day when the luck is in your favour and you can bounce back. And that's exactly what happened.'
The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.
"One stat stands out: 375,000 people coming through the gates in that Melbourne Test match, beating the record set 90 years ago of 350,000," Shastri said.
'Hopefully the weather holds off, and then tomorrow it's just about coming in, having a crack, and see where we get to.'
Shami plays sixth match in 11 days, bowls 15 dots
Australia's Steve Smith wants to adopt a proactive approach against Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Rohit Sharma exhorted his teammates to shut down outside noises and rumours and focus on winning the ongoing fifth Test against Australia that will help them retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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