Opener Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson will all play their first Tests at Adelaide Oval after selectors wielded the axe following the Hobart humiliation, which gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
CA chief calls on Queensland to invest in stadium after Gabba was snubbed from international calendar for first time in 50 years.
The 30-year-old said he will look to bowl at the nets on the third day of the Boxing day Test and will rely more on feel than on medical assessment.
The former South African quick explained the pre-set plan against Head, though it eventually fell flat on its back.
Team India, set for a gruelling tour of Australia, looked in top gear as they practiced diligently during a nets session on the eve of the first Test in Adelaide on Monday.
India captain Virat Kohli left Australian shores on Tuesday with a message for his teammates as they aim to bounce back after the debacle in the opening Test in Adelaide.
Mayank Yadav should be on the plane to Australia if Mohammed Shami is not available for selection, asserted Brett Lee, one of the most destructive fast bowlers of all time, who has high hopes from the Indian pace sensation on the true, bouncy wickets Down Under.
'You have to respect if the ball's moving, you have to give it to the fast bowlers and just soak in that pressure and wait for your time to score runs.'
The second Test between India and Bangladesh at Kolkata's Eden Gardens will be the first day-night Test on Indian soil, making India the seventh country to host a day-night Test.
Ricky Ponting feels that left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed could be a valuable addition in the Indian squad
'Australia vice-captain Travis Head on Thursday backed the idea of playing the entire Test series behind closed doors at Adelaide Oval, where an on-site hotel is under construction, to ensure it goes ahead amid restrictions forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.'
Those players not involved in the Indian Premier League, as well as coaching and support staff, will make the Adelaide Oval their home once the white-ball tour of England concludes following Wednesday's third ODI in Manchester.
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.
The result in the first Test against Australia was expected, if one takes a look at India's recent, or overall, record overseas. What was unexpected, though, says Bikash Mohapatra, was the Virat Kohli-led side's change of attitude.
Waqar said Australia will come hard at India as they must be still hurting from the defeat in the 2018 Test series at home.
Australia's run-machine Marnus Labuschagne has displaced England captain Joe Root to claim the world's number one Test batter spot following a run of big scores in the ongoing Ashes series.
India enters the final leg of the Australia tour with the first Test at Adelaide on December 17.
Shami was hit on the hand by a Pat Cummins short ball during India's second innings last Saturday, which ended at a record lowest score of 36 for nine at the Adelaide Oval. He was taken to a hospital for scans, which revealed a fracture.
The scandal unfolded when senior Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was charged with racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test at Sydney. The incident created a lot of bitterness between the two teams with India threatening to pull out of the tour before the ICC intervened.
Rahane was left to pick up the pieces at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and responded in emphatic style.
'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.'
Skipper Harmanpreet Singh's brace went in vain as India lost 4-5 to Australia in the final game and handed the five-Test hockey series 1-4 to the world No. 1 side, in Adelaide, on Sunday.
'Hopefully there is a little bit in it early, it's going to be good to bat on, and then take a little bit of spin and some inconsistency later in the game'
The captain shared a video of him playing some pleasing, confident, shots.
Australia paceman Ryan Harris will be holding nothing back in the second Ashes Test against England this week even if his injury track record suggests he will struggle to play all five Tests in the series.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin reckons the opening day-night Test was India's best shot at winning in the ongoing series as it will be very difficult for the visitors to script a turnaround after the demoralizing eight-wicket loss in Adelaide.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
His technique against swing bowling has also come under scrutiny with a few greats of the game, including Sunil Gavaskar and Ricky Ponting, calling for his ouster from the team.
The departed cricketer was named his national team's '13th man' as the first Test between India and Australia started in Adelaide on an emotional note.
A mouth-watering four-Test series between the top two teams in the World Test Championship standings will get underway with a pink-ball conTest at Adelaide from December 17.
Opening batsman David Warner tore an adductor muscle in the leadup to the four-Test series and was ruled out of the Adelaide opener as well as the ongoing 'Boxing Day' Test in Melbourne.
Nathan Lyon has already started his homework on rising batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal
Vice-captain Brad Haddin is hopeful of Michael Clarke leading the Australian outfit in the first Test against India starting December 9 after the hamstrung skipper reported to training at the Adelaide Oval.
A fresh coronavirus outbreak in Adelaide forced Australian players, including captain Tim Paine, into self-isolation but the country's cricket board asserted that the first Test against India here from December 17 will go ahead as scheduled.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli thwarted Australia in a diligent partnership to push India to a position of strength and a 166-run lead at the close of day three of the first Test on Saturday.
Reader Amith Uppal sent us this picture from Chennai.
The Indian players, led by captain Virat Kohli, focussed on next month's Test series against Australia as they practised in simulated long-format match conditions complete with pacers using red and pink balls, in Sydney, on Tuesday.
Young opener Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj will make their Test debuts in the second Boxing Day Test against Australia, starting in Melbourne, on Saturday.
Australia are aiming for a whitewash but that is easier said than done as skipper Michael Clarke on Monday conceded the conditions at Adelaide Oval are more of India's liking even though he expects reverse swing to play a crucial role during the fourth and final Test starting on Tuesday.
