A look back at a few memorable showdowns in the last decade and half that had the quintessential crests and troughs of Test cricket.
Rishabh Pant is only the second wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket to hit two hundreds in the same match.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the cornerstone of the Indian batting line-up in Tests, featuring in 103 matches in which he scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries.
Spinner Prabath Jayasuriya led the charge with a five-wicket haul as Bangladesh collapsed for just 133 in their second innings, handing Sri Lanka a win by an innings and 78 runs.
Take a look at the numbers and narratives that made Edgbaston Test one for the ages.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web around Sri Lankan batsmen with a six-wicket haul as India dismissed the hosts for a paltry 183 in the first innings to gain the upperhand on the opening day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday.
Since making debut in 2009, Angelo Mathews has turned up in 118 Tests, scoring 8167 runs -- the third-highest tally for Sri Lanka.
'We have got a guy like Hardik Pandya, who is a wicket-taking bowler. Every game that he plays, on any surface, he has a knack of picking wickets. He has a great chance of playing as well'
Karunaratne, 36, scored 7222 runs in Tests at a healthy average of nearly 40, including a top score of 244. He also played 50 ODIs, scoring 1,316 runs.
Australia, who have already secured their place in the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa, won the opening Test, also in Galle, by an innings and 242 runs.
Australia's success has been compared with some of the nation's great Test teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Travis Head impressed in Australia's 2023 tour of India showing his proficiency against spin
The pitch of the Galle Test between Sri Lanka and Australia has been rated as poor by the match referee Chris Broad, the ICC announced on Monday.
Dimuth Karunaratne's Test career ended in a whimper as Sri Lanka's most prolific Test opener fell caught behind to Kuhnemann after making 14.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an inquiry into the dusty, sub-standard pitch prepared in Galle for last week's first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia.
Steve Smith is the 15th player to go past the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket.
Bishan Bedi-led India held the previous record when they thrashed Australia by 222 runs in the Melbourne Test in December 1977.
Sri Lanka debutant Rathnayake changes bowling arm to target batter's weakness
Pant also matched India's veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane, who was the last vice-captain to smash a century in each innings, doing so against South Africa in New Delhi, in 2015.
Sources close to the development indicated that Khawaja's decision stems from SEN's controversial dismissal of Lalor earlier this year, a move that has continued to raise eyebrows within the cricketing community.
Sri Lankan batter Dimuth Karunaratne is set to retire from international cricket after playing his 100th Test -- the second and final Test against Australia, starting in Galle on Thursday.
'We've got some solid batsmen in the dressing room. And yeah, it's exciting in every way.'
The left-arm spinner was the most prolific bowler in Australia's 2-0 whitewash in Galle, taking 16 wickets at an average of 17.18.
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
Australia spin bowler Matthew Kuhnemann was cleared to resume international cricket on Wednesday following an independent assessment at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
The ICC said two new rules will be trialled by full members for a period of six months starting from October 2025. It includes a new wide-ball rule for ODIs and T20Is
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
Australia captain Pat Cummins is all but ruled out of the Champions Trophy while fellow paceman Josh Hazlewood is also a doubt for the tournament.
A dominant 2-0 series win over New Zealand has elevated Sri Lanka to the third position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings.
Australia's Usman Khawaja struck a maiden double hundred and Josh Inglis got a century on his Test debut against Sri Lanka to power the tourists to a mammoth 654/6.
Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for 231 in the hosts' second innings and then chased down the target of 75 losing the lone wicket of opener Travis Head.
Pant breaks into top-10, Rohit, Kohli slip
This crushing defeat is a major wake-up call for Team India. They now face the real possibility of losing a home series for the first time in over a decade, warns Harish Kotian.
Chasing 268 to go 1-0 up in the two-Test series, Karunaratne's 161-run opening stand with Lahiru Thirimanne (64) set the tone for a successful chase at the Galle International Stadium.
Usman Khawaja has condemned a radio station's decision to drop cricket journalist Peter Lalor from its coverage of the Sri Lanka Test series over social media posts related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
Boundary catches involving 'bunny hops', or multiple airborne touches outside the rope, have been deemed illegal by the Marylebone Cricket Club, with the new ruling set to be integrated into ICC's playing conditions this month and the MCC's laws from October next year.
With just one match left in the series, Rohit Sharma and his men face a steep challenge to secure their spot in the final at Lord's next year.
Interesting numbers from the third day's play in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka, at Galle.
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