Pat Cummins said that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch looks "nice and firm" with a "bit of grass coverage"
Plenty of hopes will rest on the young shoulders of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who, at the age of just 23, has earned a reputation as one of the world's best openers in the longest format of the game.
Australia's opening partnership has been the subject of much debate since David Warner retired and remains unresolved less than a month before the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
'If you end up finding yourself in the position where you happen to be in that World Test Championship final, then it is great, but it is a real weird one knowing that you are playing for something over a long period of time.'
South Africa will co-host the next 50-over Cricket World Cup in 2027 along with Zimbabwe and Namibia.
'We won't miss Virat and Rohit. I have faith in our young team.'
His departure from Test cricket, announced ahead of India's upcoming tour of England in June, leaves a leadership void in the red-ball setup. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and young batter Shubman Gill have emerged as frontrunners to succeed him as Test captain.
Kohli is now five points clear after Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test
Shaheen Afridi also missed the last two Tests against England in October.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Tuesday named a stand each after the incumbent India Test captain Rohit Sharma, former skipper Ajit Wadekar and ex-BCCI president Sharad Pawar here at the Wankhede Stadium.
India women will be keen to internalise the conditions and character of venues in England ahead of next year's World Cup during the five-match T20I series against the hosts, beginning with the opening game on Saturday.
'I think any captain who wants to lead from the front, they want to lead through performance as well, and that's what Temba's done exceptionally well.'
India managed to keep the five-Test series level at 1-1 heading into the Boxing day Test in Melbourne, the fragility of their top order remains a major concern for the tourists.
England batsman Joe Root and Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath have moved up to second positions in their respective ICC Test player rankings but failed to displace top-ranked batsman Steve Smith and bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
Following his fine show with the bat in the fourth cricket Test against England in Manchester, India's Ravichandran Ashwin became the No 1 Test all-rounder in ICC rankings published on Monday
Another England bowler to advance in the rankings was Chris Woakes, whose five-wicket haul in the second innings lifted him to 20th position and a career-best rating points tally of 654.
Lokesh Rahul, who hit two half-centuries in the deciding Dharamsala Test against Australia, on Thursday, jumped 11 places to a career-high rank of 11th in the latest ICC chart for Test batsmen.
The BCCI isn't involved in this Test match. It was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's choice and the Greater Noida Authority was supposed to provide them with international standard facilities.
Spinner Taijul Islam picked up a five-wicket haul to give Bangladesh the upper hand against Zimbabwe on Day 1 of the second Test.
The third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane faces a grim weather forecast, with rain predicted to impact the remaining four days.
Kohli's farewell came during a turbulent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, a place once synonymous with his rise.
After a much-needed two-day respite, Team India returned to the training grounds with renewed vigour, setting their sights on a pivotal showdown against New Zealand on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu won her maiden women's ODI Cricketer of the Year award, becoming the first female cricketer from the country to win an ICC award.
'But we'll savour this for a couple of hours at least and then it'll be recovery for the next few days.'
Mandhana happy to score a ton in a format that 'is not a natural format for me.'
Mitchell Marsh has allayed concerns about his injury, declaring himself "good to go" for the pink ball second Test against India, which begins in Adelaide on December 6.
Harry Brook matched the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's career-high of 898 rating points in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Virat surprised me, he had at least 2-3 years of Test cricket left in him: Shastri
Boland is ready to step in once again for Josh Hazlewood, continuing the role of the perfect first substitute that has defined his 11-Test career.
Rain is expected to influence the first morning of play on Friday, with a 25% chance of showers forecast.
Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri firmly believes Australia should select experienced pacer Josh Hazlewood ahead of Scott Boland for the WTC Final against South Africa in June.
Kapil Dev believes the injury-enforced absence of key players like Jasprit Bumrah can hamper any team and hopes India's pace spearhead will return to action soon.
England skipper Ben Stokes and right-arm seamer Brydon Carse are unlikely to feature in the upcoming Test series against India and the Ashes as they are still recovering from injuries.
The ICC is considering awarding bonus points for innings victories or for a win above a certain big margin such as 100 runs.
Bumrah receives his ICC awards for 2024 during India-Pakistan match in Champions Trophy
Burns, who played 23 Tests and six ODIs for Australia, qualified to play for his adopted country through his mother's side.
Skipper Virat Kohli and his Indian team maintained their respective top positions in the latest ICC Test rankings published on Thursday.
Courtesy his 153-run knock against Australia in the Mohali Test, India opener Murali Vijay has jumped 16 places to career-best rank of the 43rd but Cheteshwar Pujara dropped out of top-10 in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen.
Jay Shah will take over as the next chairman of the ICC in December after he emerged as the sole nominee for the high-profile job
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