Two teams with fault lines in their batting, up against two of the best bowling sides in the game today -- the question that determines the outcome is, is your weakness greater than mine?
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.
A confident and wiser Australia are well-equipped to take the fight to India in a series that could literally be decided by a coin-toss, according to former Test bowler Ryan Harris.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf on Friday gave a pep talk to the Pakistan cricket team ahead of its much-anticipated World Cup match against arch-rivals India in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
The pitch in Guyana has favoured the bowlers in the past by slowing down as the game goes on.
The first Test, beginning in Chennai on Thursday, is expected to be played on the red-soil trampoline which often offers good purchase to pacers, but the black-soil composition is more likely to assist the spinners.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Saturday.
The last time Team India won an ICC World Cup was in 2011 in India. It was a 50-over ODI format that was won under the astute leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Beau Webster believes playing against India pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be an enormous challenge for the Australian pacers on the seamer-friendly SCG pitch.
Australia, who beat England 4-0 in the Ashes in January, have moved from 119 to 128 rating points in the annual update that drops the 2018-19 season and reflects all series completed since May 2019.
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
P R Sreejesh emerged hero with a superb performance under the bar as the Indian men's hockey team beat Great Britain 4-2 in the shootout to enter the semi-finals.
Former Pakistan captain Pakistan Rameez Raja believes India have a "very good chance" of beating Australia again in the upcoming Test series as the hosts are unlikely to prepare venomous pitches for the high-profile series.
Hockey: India v Australia, QF
'They haven't done a lot wrong. That's without some of their stars actually performing in that final.'
Virat Kohli's former Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate AB de Villiers has advised the struggling Indian batter to "reset" his mind
Those three wickets for six runs, in a manic final 15 minutes of the day's play, undid all the good work that had gone before, asserts Prem Panicker.
'I feel like we are so lucky to be here giving this happiness to people back home. We hardly see these kind of events back home where they could celebrate and enjoy those moments. That's something which really, really satisfies me.'
How the cricket fraternity celebrated the 5-0 rout of New Zealand on Twitter.
Ajinkya Rahane will have his task cut out once he dons the captain's armband after Kohli returns to India following the opening Test.
India marched into the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Monday as skipper Rohit Sharma's blistering 92 set up a 24-run victory over Australia.
Six medals from a 117-strong contingent is not ideal but India had its moments of joy, hope, frustration, and heartache.
A look at how India's athletes fared on Day 4, Tuesday, July 30, 2024:
The Sydney Cricket Ground track was "not ideal" for a Test match, according to batting great Sunil Gavaskar, but India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir praised the wicket as "spicy" and "result-oriented".
India played the tournament's best cricket for nearly six weeks but it was the familiar sight of Australia celebrating with the trophy as fireworks exploded overhead when the 13th edition of the World Cup came to a close on Sunday.
'We are committed to leveraging our influence constructively to support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan'.
Jasprit Bumrah was left frustrated after missing out on another chance to bowl on the "spiciest wicket of the series". However, India's premier pacer emphasized that sometimes it becomes imperative for a player to respect his body.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players as superstars' while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
The Ranji Trophy resumes on Thursday, promising a star-studded spectacle as Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant headline a host of big names returning to action.
IMAGES from the Group B Champions Trophy match between Australia and England in Lahore on Saturday
Apart from Renshaw's inclusion in place of Warner, there are no changes to the squad which beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final test to sweep the series 3-0 last week.
India will have to regroup quickly and iron out the imbalances in team combination when they face arch-rivals Pakistan in a crucial second group A match of the Women's T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday
Mahela Jayawardene believes Australia have a chance of beating India in their own backyard in the four-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy series, which begins in Nagpur from Thursday.
'Every facet of their Test team has to improve. They are kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Smith and Warner come back'
Bikash Mohapatra picks six individual performances that proved decisive in India beating Australia 4-0 in the just-concluded Test series.
Having made their Test debuts in the same year, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin will face each other for the eighth time in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Gambhir was named India Head Coach in July after the end of Rahul Dravid's tenure.
'Right now hockey is totally changed and anyone can beat anyone depending on the day. It depends on how many chances you create.'
Hailed as one of Indian cricket's brightest young talents, the 22-year-old Yashasvi Jaiswal made a dazzling start to his Test career.
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