'I am still in the low 140s, so I am not concerned'
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
Pat Cummins on Saturday rated himself a "half chance" to play the day-night Test against England in Brisbane from December 4.
With skipper Pat Cummins already out of the series opener because of a back injury, Australia are expected to send out Hazlewood with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as their pace attack.
Australia legend Ricky Ponting believes a cheeky comment from India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal may have ignited Mitchell Starc's career-best performance during the second Test in Adelaide.
Kolkata Knight Riders splashed the cash as they spent a record breaking Rs 25.20 to buy Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first Test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
The Capitals sit pretty at the top with 10 points from six games, while the Titans trail close behind with eight from as many outings.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
After Sunday's defeat in Perth, the three-match series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.
Formidable India have their tails up as they head to the gargantuan MCG for the second T20I against Australia here on Friday, thanks to the influx of young talent and the return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon made history on Friday as they became the first bowling quartet in Test history to take 500 Test wickets while playing together.
Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.
As Virat Kohli looks to make amends in Thursday's second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds, former India international Mohammed Kaif said that Virat did not appear to be in his batting zone.
Ahead of the mini-auction, scheduled to be held in Doha on December 26, the 10 franchises have released their list of retained and released players.
'He is a fantastic thinker of the game.'
'Alyssa is my most favourite Australian right now and not Mitch Starc. He is No. 2.'
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has backed Mitchell Starc to be ready for the decisive fifth and final Test of the series against India when it starts in Sydney on Friday despite doubts over the fast bowler's fitness.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Cummins would be watching the action unfold from the sidelines due to a back injury.
'He's no doubt scored a fair few runs against me so it's always a good contest and one we both enjoy.'
Australia held their nerve in a tense chase, edging past India by two wickets to seal the series 2-0 despite a late fightback from the visitors on Thursday in Adelaide.
'I wouldn't bowl to him (Gill) in England, that's for sure.'
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
'I think there was a fair bit of good bowling today. Obviously there was enough in the wicket and it probably felt like it was a hardball wicket.'
'But we'll savour this for a couple of hours at least and then it'll be recovery for the next few days.'
Key players, such as pacer Mitchell Starc, are hitting form at the right time, while star batter Steve Smith is facing early setbacks in his preparations.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
'We finished ahead of England (in the group stage) and end up where we were pre-seeded as the second side. All of a sudden, you're in a different group.'
Over four decades, the India-Australia ODI rivalry has mirrored the evolution of both teams, from Australia's supremacy in the 2000s to India's resurgence post-2010. Come Sunday, this rivalry will be renewed as Shubman Gill will commence his first assignment as ODI captain in the opening game of the three match series, at the Optus stadium in Perth.
He finished with 4-0-34-3, a testament to his ability to exploit early wickets and dismantle batting line-ups with his raw pace. This performance served as a stark reminder of why he was the most sought-after bowler at the IPL auction.
He mentioned that this year's IPL will help him in preparing for the T20 World Cup in West Indies starting June 1.
Adam Griffith has been tasked with grooming the next generation of Australian pace bowlers for bigger assignments like Test cricket.
Once DC and MI backed out, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders commenced an even more intense battle, crossing the record Rs 20.50 crore (Rs 205 million) spent by Sunrisers Hyderabad on Pat Cummins a little earlier.
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