Former Australia captain Ian Chappell feels even though he backs the hosts to win the series 3-0, India should field five specialist bowlers including two spinners in the final cricket Test, starting January 6.
'He's come off a second stress fracture in his back and while he's just starting to get up and running in the nets now -- I think he's played six white ball games in the last 18 months -- that's T20 and one-day cricket'
His loss for even part of the series would be a huge blow to a team already missing so much batting experience because of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
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.
Under pressure after four consecutive defeats, Mumbai Indians came out with a 'positive' display to register their first win.
The return of all-rounder Ben Stokes will be a welcome boost to the England squad as he provides much-needed balance and lifts morale, team mate Moeen Ali said ahead of the two-match test series in New Zealand.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann predicted Wednesday that sledging is likely to be part of the mix when they confront South Africa in a five-match one-day international series. Skipper Steve Smith had lamented the quiet, virtually shy approach of his Test team during a recent 3-0 series loss in Sri Lanka. "Steve hit it right on the head," said Lehmann after the Australian squad arrived in Johannesburg for a series, which begins at SuperSport Park in Centurion next Friday.
New Zealand will play three ODIs, starting with the opening match in Mumbai on October 22. It will be followed by three Twenty20s.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann expects the upcoming limited-overs series against India to be an exciting one given the 'aggressive' brand of cricket that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men have been playing of late.
Squaring off with India once again after a fiercely fought Test series, left-arm Australian pacer Mitchell Starc predicted an intense contest against the same opponents in their cricket tri-series match in Melbourne on Sunday.
Australia secured a consolation victory in the final Test by an innings and 46 runs on Sunday before England captain Alastair Cook lifted the Ashes urn at the end of a dramatic and fluctuating series.
Australia captain Aaron Finch expects New Zealand to fight and scrap in their remaining games to seal a place in the semis.
Australia's bowlers will not shy away from sending down a barrage of short deliveries in the first Test against India, paceman Mitchell Johnson has said.
'We are pretty comfortable as a side and any combination that we go in with.'
Boult took 6-33 as Australia, who only needed to square the series to retain the trophy, were dismissed for 257 on the final ball of the 47th over as they chased New Zealand's 281 for nine.
A strong fourth innings fightback that had nearly clinched a remarkable record run chase in the first Test loss to Australia in Brisbane had given Pakistan the confidence they needed for the rest of the series, captain Misbah-ul-haq has said. The visitors, who were dismissed for 142 in their first innings, had Australian cricket fans chewing their fingernails to the quick as they counter-attacked in chasing 490 for victory.
Justin Langer is sweating over the fitness of David Warner but insists he will take no chances over the health of his opener. Australia kick off their ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign against Afghanistan in Bristol on Saturday, with Warner hoping to shake off an injury to his glute muscle.
India will embark on a bid to end 70 long years of fruitless attempts to win a Test series in Australia from a similar position of strength, 2-1 up with one to play after a crushing victory in Melbourne.
'We have the best spinner and three outstanding pace bowlers, against the outstanding Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli. So it takes some mental and physical energy out'
The skipper added that the journey since leading the side has been a learning curve for him, even as Australian cricket is just starting to come out of a period of strife.
Australian spinner Steve O'Keefe believes it would be a daunting task to tame Virat Kohli and his men in the upcoming Test series in India but insisted that they are not infallible and might find the going difficult on turning wickets.
'It's not really a surprise (the rule was changed). I genuinely think that no one ever thought that was going to happen and it did'
Former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson feels that Indian team will be 'nervous' considering the pacer-friendly conditions of Dharamsala where Steve Smith and his boys should feel more confident.
Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop has lamented the difference in quality between the two competing teams in the current four-Test series, stating that Indian players' experience puts them miles ahead of the Caribbean outfit.
Umpires should invoke cricket's laws and protect England's tailenders from Australia's relentless 'bodyline' bowling in the ongoing Ashes series, former England captain Michael Atherton has said.
Ecstatic after his match-winning performance in only his second international game, Australia's rookie left-arm speedster Jason Behrendorff says his ultimate aim is to play Test cricket for a long time.
Akeem Bloomfield announced himself as the latest 'next big thing' from Jamaica
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.
Keen to take the field after missing the first few Indian Premier League matches this season due to a knee injury, Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mitchell Starc expressed his desire to play against Chennai Super Kings, in Bangalore, on Wednesday.
It was unacceptable that 45 minutes of bad cricket resulted in India's shock exit from the World Cup, lamented captain Virat Kohli after his team suffered a heart-breaking semi-final defeat to New Zealand on Wednesday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore may have faltered against Sunrisers Hyderabad after notching up a win in their first game, but captain Virat Kohli expects a complete turnaround once Adam Milne and Mitchell Starc recover from their respective injuries.
Mitchell Larkin completed a rare backstroke double and Bronte Campbell won the blue riband women's 100 metres freestyle title as Australia celebrated another golden night at the world swimming championships.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has told his fast bowlers to welcome the Indian batsmen with aggression when they clash in the five-match ODI series, starting in Napier on Sunday.
On his first visit to India, Mitchell Santner has made a good impression with his all-round performance and that's a huge positive for the New Zealand side from the Kanpur Test, captain Kane Williamson said.
Australia coach Justin Langer lamented a lack of world-class batsmen in his side's line-up and pointed out that Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara have been the difference for the visitors in the ongoing four-match Test series.
English skipper Eoin Morgan expressed disappointment in the manner his side surrendered in the tri-series final to Australia by 112 runs but said that they will come back stronger in the World Cup beginning on February 14.
Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting on Wednesday said that the 2001 Test series in India, which was won by the hosts, was one of the most remarkable series that he has ever played in. The 41-year-old right handed batsman walked down the memory lane and talked about the historic 2001 India-Australia series, saying: "2001 series was probably the most remarkable Test series I have played in.
Boult, De Grandhomme cleared to travel to Perth for first Test against Australia
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Test between Australia and Sri Lanka on Thursday
The focus will be on K L Rahul and Vijay Shankar, contenders for the number four slot, in the World Cup warm up match against New Zealand, in London, on Saturday.
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