Ahead of the WTC final between India and Australia, Ricky Ponting picked Australia's playing XI.
Cricket Australia will hold a range of tributes to honour the late Phillip Hughes.
The game's most influential nation were the last major team to jump on the Twenty20 bandwagon and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) doggedly resisted the Decision Review System before accepting it almost reluctantly.
India had refused to play a day-night Test after Australia had expressed their desire to host the team for pink-ball cricket at Adelaide during its tour Down Under in December.
Australia captain Steven Smith has no qualms about playing another day-night Test at Adelaide Oval but is wary of how the pink ball will perform in the humid conditions expected at Brisbane later this year.
Number of Tests won by India outside Asia in 2018 now stands at 4 -- the most they have ever won in a calendar year, points out Rajneesh Gupta.
BCCI has also clarified as to why Rohit Sharma did not travel to Australia alongside the Indian side. The batsman will undergo further assessment on December 11, and after that, it will be decided whether he will play the Test series against Australia or not.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock have achieved career-high positions in the latest ICC Test Player Rankings after firing South Africa to an emphatic 177-run victory over Australia in the opening Test of the three-match series in Perth on Monday.
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.
Five Indian players to watch in the Test series against Australia, which begins in Adelaide on December 17:
There is no doubt that the umpires review system (DRS) dominated the Adelaide Test between Australia and the West Indies, but noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck is of the view that it was just a revolutionary experiment, and therefore, there was no need to consider a rolling of heads, notwithstanding the all-round unease felt about the system during the game.
Opening partner Usman Khawaja (62) completed 1000 runs for the calendar year and was looking in great touch before West Indies struck back with two quick wickets after the lunch break.
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch wants the home team players to strike a fine balance when they confront Virat Kohli in the opening Test as he believes, if provoked too much, the India skipper can be ruthless against his opponents.
Kohli is the leading Indian batsman in the chart with 886 rating points behind Australia's Steve Smith (911 points).
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed he had given serious thought about retiring after the England series in 2018 as he felt he was not being adequately backed despite being a proven match-winner for the Indian team.
Cheteshwar Pujara has now scored 3 centuries in this series, equalling Sunil Gavaskar's record.
Opener David Warner, who set up a crucial victory for Australia with a whirlwind century in the ongoing World Cup on Friday, credited the IPL for working as a learning platform where he perfected the art of pacing an ODI innings.
Coming into the series at the back of a convincing series win over Pakistan, Australia will look to seal their seventh day-night Test win when they face New Zealand in the opening Test beginning in Perth on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 3rd Ashes Test played in Melbourne on Sunday.
"It's a huge challenge but India did it to us the last time over there (in 2001)," said the Australian captain.
Apart from Virat Kohli and the pace battery of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Ishant Sharma, not many in the current Indian Test setup can say they are sure-shot starters.
Scott Boland will become the first indigenous Australian Test player since Jason Gillespie played his last match in 2006 when he receives his baggy green cap on Sunday.
Pucovski was ruled out after suffering a concussion in the first warm-up game between Australia A and India A.
Former Australia batsman Michael Hussey said that conditions for the third Test in Melbourne will be a lot different from those in Perth and India should consider drafting in all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bring balance to their attack.
Pakistan pace great and former captain Wasim Akram has declared Australia the favourites to win the much-anticipated Test series against India in December-January although he foresees a close contest between the two evenly-matched sides.
'It's a tough gig, opening in Test cricket, but we're really confident Marcus has got what it takes to be a successful Australian opening batsman.'
The 34-year-old replaced Iftikhar Ahmed, who managed only 44 runs in four innings in the recent tour of Australia where Pakistan lost both Tests.
Mohammed Shami set two records on day 4 of the Perth Test, says Rajneesh Gupta.
Book reveals how Akshay Kumar terminated his own contract to save IPL team from incurring loss
Top order batsman Shaun Marsh was called into the Australia squad for the third Test against New Zealand on Wednesday along with pace bowler James Pattinson and left arm spinner Steve O'Keefe.
According to Kartik, Pant has an 'X-factor' in his batting and believes that he can produce results for the side
Australia have rested Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus from their squad for the third and final Test against South Africa as the pace duo continue to recover after shouldering heavy workload in the last Test in Adelaide.
Cricket Australia has bolstered its campaign to host a day-night Test against South Africa later this year by publishing an interview with captain Steve Smith in which he backed the proposed fixture.
The 26-year-old would be expected to offer a fourth pace option to back up the strike trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who secured Australia a 120-run victory to give them a 2-0 lead in the series on Wednesday.
With Steven Smith now helming the Australian affairs, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning from injury, the 2nd Test at Gabba, starting Tuesday, will shed light on the mindset of the two leaders.
Pant said the win against Australia in the fourth Test is one of the biggest moments of his life.
Norma Godinho evaluates the Indians after their humiliating loss in Perth.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances