Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc described Virat Kohli as a 'fantastic captain', having shared the dressing room with the India captain while representing Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
Fast-rising Australian batsman Will Pucovski feels he has "earned the right" to be in the red-ball squad for the series against India and is better prepared to make his Test debut compared to a couple of seasons ago.
Cricket Australia has locked in four venues for the financially crucial Test series against India and the first match is tentatively set for a December 3 start in Brisbane, as per local media reports. The 7news.com.au report also stated that there will be no quarantine hub or "bio bubble" required as of now.
Langer feels that spinner Nathan Lyon will have a role to play on the final day of the Pink Test as the wicket will support spin on Monday.
Play was halted for a few minutes after India pacer Mohammed Siraj complained of racial abuse from a section of the crowd
'There aren't too many guys... that have averaged higher than Steve in Test cricket. Clearly they are huge shoes to fill and we don't put all that pressure on Marnus'
'It does not matter even if you are the world's best, because if you have tired legs, obviously you cannot execute your plans as well you would want to. So, it's great learning for workload management for all of us,' said India's fielding coach R Sridhar.
The Sydney Test, apart from being an enthralling battle between the ball and the bat, drew attention for Indian players facing racists remarks.
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane reveals India's game plan going into the final day of the third Test against Australia.
Australia captain Tim Paine said he is 'relishing going head-to-head' with his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series.
Steve Smith scored Australia's first century of the series to drive the hosts to 338 all out but India stood firm with 96 for two to leave the third Test in the balance at the end of the second day in Sydney on Friday.
Paine was given out purely based on a Snicko spike as there was no mark on Hot Spot, which is the correct protocol.
Josh Hazlewood took five for eight as Australia romped to an emphatic victory by eight wickets inside three days in the first Test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after skittling India for 36, their lowest innings score in 88 years of Test cricket.
With the return of Smith and Warner, and the presence of the solid Labuschagne, the Australian captain reckons 'we'll be a different kettle of fish'.
The embattled Australian team hit a 34-year low in the ICC ODI rankings, dropping to sixth place following back-to-back defeats against England in the ongoing five-match series. With defeats to the world No. 1 ODI team in London and Cardiff, Australia slipped to 102 rankings points and sits a fraction of a point below 2017 Champions Trophy winners Pakistan.
Bollywood veteran actor Naseeruddin slammed Virat Kohli for his on-field 'behaviour' after the India captain was involved in an on-field altercation with Australia skipper Tim Paine during the ongoing second Test in Perth on Monday.
Labuschagne played a knock of 108 runs before he was dismissed by debutant T Natarajan in the final session of the opening day.
'If you're friendly with any Indian player it doesn't mean that you are getting IPL contract'
Badminton's governing body (BWF) said on Wednesday it will work with Thai health authorities to ensure "comfortable" COVID-19 testing conditions at the Thailand Open after Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth was left with a bloody nose following a test.
Australia coach Justin Langer says playing cricket without fans in the stadiums is an option worth considering if it helped get the game going again after the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed. As with most sports, efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the shutdown of cricket around the world and Langer thinks teams would be keen to play in empty stadiums upon resumption if the alternative is a longer furlough.
Former ICC elite panel umpire Daryl Harper has suggested a ban on the contentious umpire's call in the Decision Review System (DRS), saying that after over a decade there are still "deficiencies in either the communication or the understanding" of the concept.
'It's going to be different. It's a lot different wicket with the pink ball than Melbourne, so it is going to be a fresh start for both batters and bowlers.'
'The pink ball Test is probably going to be a bit more challenging in terms of conditions and how the ball moves around in the evening and stuff like that.'
Once Virat leaves, Rahane would be leading the Indian side for the remaining three Test matches.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali differs with coach Trevor Bayliss and believes turning up the stump microphones could curb sledging in cricket.
Cricket Australia is considering the prospect of turning its four-match Test series against India later this year into a five-Test series as it continues looking for ways to compensate the financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Tests series in December. In between there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global health crisis.
ICC's proposal to introduce four-day Tests has met with stiff opposition
'It's a long series, our bowlers have had a really big workload and we feel we're going to need Mitch's bowling at some point.'
Paceman Mitchell Starc retains his place in the side despite what was perceived to be a sub-par performance in Adelaide, and will be looking for a strong performance in conditions which are expected to favour his skills at the new Perth Stadium.
The 21-year-old is now level with Englishman Jack Russell (vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 1995) and South Africa's AB de Villiers (vs Pakistan at Johannesburg in 2013).
Handling the spotlight and the probing questions from the fourth estate can be difficult for first-time international players and Cricket Australia prefers not to leave anything to chance.
Australia opener David Warner believes India's Rohit Sharma has the firepower to surpass West Indies great Brian Lara's record 400 not out in a Test match.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Australia skipper Tim Paine for sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the drawn third Test in Sydney, saying his behaviour was "unbefitting" of a leader and could cost him his captaincy.
Tim Paine said he was living with 'his head in the sand' before the Black Lives Movement
Ricky Ponting believes the hosts will hold an edge over India in the second Test at the Perth
'We need to be mindful of keeping ourselves calm enough so we can execute our skills as well'
They were consistent and despite the inexperience, held their own, feels Australia's assistant coach Andrew McDonald.
Carey was named a co-vice captain of the limited-overs sides captained by Aaron Finch during the home summer, and has impressed with his glovework during recent series against Pakistan and India.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
'If there were ever a PR exercise to fix the seemingly irreparable image of Australian cricket in the aftermath of the most notorious on-field scandal in recent memory, then this is it,' observes Dhruv Munjal.