After a stellar day with the bat and in the field on Sunday, South Africa's Jacques Kallis declared himself fit and ready to play his part with the ball in the last two days of the first Test against Australia.
England captain Joe Root's impatience to resume hostilities with Australia at Adelaide Oval after a week of off-field distractions was palpable on the eve of the first day-night Ashes Test on Friday.
The selection committee of the Cricket Board (BCCI) will meet in New Delhi on Saturday to pick the Indian team for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Australia, starting January 12.
'There is pent-up demand for cricket after last year when no tournaments were played on Indian soil due to the pandemic.'
Australia fought back with two late wickets to restrict England to 196 for four and leave the Ashes series-opener in Brisbane delicately poised on Thursday after the tourists' unheralded batsmen threatened to dominate an intriguing first day.
Saha was all praise for the 23-year-old Pant whose 89 not out on the fifth day sealed the match for India at the Gabba to win the series 2-1.
Batting at No. 9, Wahab Riaz struck a quickfire half-century before he returned to claim four wickets with the ball to lift Pakistan to a narrow 20-run victory.
India's opener Shikhar Dhawan and vice-captain Virat Kohli have recovered from their injuries sustained during the second Test against Australia and are fit to play the third match beginning in Melbourne on December 26.
Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins describes Cheteshwar Pujara as a 'brick wall', whose wicket he targeted once captain Virat Kohli returned home after the first Test during the recent series against India.
Australia will field the same team in the second Ashes Test against England, captain Steve Smith said on Friday, with uncapped local seamer Chadd Sayers and quick Jackson Bird again missing out.
Australia and England will play the first day-night Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval in December next year, adding a bold new ingredient to one of cricket's oldest and fiercest rivalries.
Batting great Rahul Dravid feels with 'impactful' Steve Smith and David Warner back in their ranks this time around, India will face stiff challenge in their Test tour of Australia later this year. The disgraced duo of Smith and Warner missed India's historic away Test series win over Australia in 2018 because of their one-year bans for their involvement in the infamous ball-tampering episode in South Africa.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the opening Test against England?
Shubman Gill opened the innings for KKR in last year's IPL but he is ready to play any role this season as per his team's needs.
'We only felt that it has never happened before, I don't think it will ever happen again. It was a freak inning'
Following is a factbox on the first Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Thursday:
Pat Cummins took a career-best 6-23 to help Australia crush Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs inside three days in the series opening day-night Test.
While Warner's celebration of his half century earlier in the day had been muted, the left-hander's delight at the hundred was palpable as he leapt into the air in trademark fashion and kissed the badge on his helmet.
As lobbying and counter-lobbying intensify, right now, it looks like a T20 match, discovers Tamal Bandyopadhyay.
The reticence of South Africa's players to participate in a day-night Test has resulted in Cricket Australia unable to confirm whether a pink-ball match would go ahead against the Proteas.
Stuart Broad saw the funny side of things after being struck by a stray golf ball during a day off at the Brisbane Golf Club on Monday as his team eased fears that it would affect his Ashes preparation.
Australia called up two more quick bowlers to their squad for the second Ashes Test as they continue to search for the killer touch that again eluded them in the first Test at the Gabba on Monday.
We asked you, dear readers to send in your congratulatory messages for the Indian team on their success Down Under. Here are your wishes for the team...
India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday admitted that playing day-night Tests is an altogether different challenge for the batsman as the pace and visibility of the pink ball is very different from the traditional red ball.
Indian opener Murali Vijay put Australia to the sword in their Brisbane fortress with a brilliant 144 to help drive the tourists to 311 for four at the close of play on the opening day of the second Test.
Australia paceman Peter Siddle has wasted little time throwing a psychological dagger at India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli, saying the batsman could expect a harsh reception from players and fans on tour Down Under.
Master batsman Steve Smith is consulting experts on how to get a better night's sleep before cricket matches.
Australia cruised to a 50-run victory over West Indies after skipper Ricky Ponting smashed his 29th ODI century in the fourth One Day International at the Gabba, Brisbane, on Sunday.
'He is a really exciting talent and probably the guy I am looking forward to seeing the most this summer. I have seen the Aussies a lot and I have seen a lot of the Kiwis, but I am really excited to see him'
'It's bloody tough to sustain it for long periods of time, particularly I think for the fast bowlers. It's extremely difficult what they put themselves through. It's great that those conversations are happening and we're trying to keep guys as mentally and physically fresh as they can be'
While there were no glaring surprises in the squad, Manish Pandey has once again been sidelined as the selectors continue to repose their trust in out of form KL Rahul.
'I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I'm gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine'.
England cricketers -- both men and women -- will undergo anti-racism training courses this year after a survey revealed that more than one-third of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) players have faced the prejudice in the game.
Selectors name the Test squad on Thursday but will have to rely on their gut rather than hard numbers
Australia's board had hoped the 60,000-seat venue in Burswood would be ready to host the third Ashes Test between the sides from December 14-18 but construction delays ruled that out, with Perth's traditional WACA ground staging it instead.
Security for the second cricket Test between India and Australia has been tightened with more police being deployed around the Gabba in the wake of the Sydney cafe siege, officials said.
England pace bowler Jake Ball has sent an injury scare through his team in their Ashes run-up after injuring his ankle.
His four Test hundreds out of five career tons have come while playing against the Australians and Indian opener Murali Vijay today attributed his special liking for the Aussies to the inspiration he got from the great knocks of legendary cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar.
Australia's Matthew Wade struck his maiden one-day century to help secure a comprehensive 92-run victory over a disjointed Pakistan in the first one-day international in Brisbane on Friday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances