Australian quick Josh Hazlewood expressed that India's rare series whitewash at home to New Zealand could "awaken a sleeping giant" as they prepare to take on the ICC World Test Championship table-toppers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November 22 onwards.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru on Friday
Virat Kohli inched closer to a maiden IPL title after Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Punjab Kings by eight wickets in a lopsided Qualifier 1 match.
Under pressure, with Mumbai Indians needing 19 off the last six balls, Krunal held his nerve, delivering a clutch performance that will be remembered for seasons to come.
Hazlewood developed interest in javelin throw but eventually settled for the gentleman's game.
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
On Thursday, intensified shelling along the Line of Control and reports of drone and missile activity triggered anxiety across IPL camps.
Australia opener Travis Head expects the "great white ball" duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to carry on till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The grand comeback party of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma endured a quick 22-ball ending, and their lowkey outing reflected in India's seven-wicket defeat against Australia.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Hazlewood makes the cut as Australia confirm WTC final squad
McDonald also said the selectors would consider a Test recall for Mitch Marsh, even if Australia's white-ball captain said last week he would be watching the Ashes series beer in hand.
Australian batter Matthew Short is relishing the opportunity to face "world-class" Indian bowlers in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
With Stoinis going way across, the pacer went beyond the tramline and bowled it way outside off but the umpire, instead of calling it wide, deemed the delivery legal, much to the batter's chagrin.
Hazlewood returned to Australia after reporting "minor side soreness" following his most recent IPL match for RCB
Virat Kohli's struggles against Australia's bowlers persisted as he was dismissed for just three runs on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test on Monday.
Josh Hazlewood handed Australia an Ashes boost as he made a successful return from an Achilles injury to help RCB beat Lucknow Super Giants by 18 runs.
Australia great Matthew Hayden hailed the selection of Krunal Pandya as a "smart pick" for the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp in this IPL season, adding that there is "something special" about the squad this year.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Smith dislocated his right little finger in last month's World Test Championship final and will be required to wear a splint for five weeks, Cricket Australia said.
Australia trail 1-0 in the five-Test series against India after being thrashed in the Perth opener by 295 runs.
Abhishek Sharma finished as the highest run-getter in the rain-hit five-match T20I series, having amassed 163 runs in the series at a strike rate of 161.39.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
In Josh Hazlewood's absence, Jhye Richardson impressed in Adelaide while Scott Boland produced a man-of-the-match-winning performance in his debut Test in Melbourne and was retained for the ongoing fourth Test in Sydney.
'Look, they (India) are a fantastic team, one which we have great respect for and I think five-match series are going to provide a lot of excitement for the fans that are coming to watch.'
'The ideal thing would be for India may be to chase, rather than having Australia chase.'
Dewald Brevis smashed his maiden T20 International century to power South Africa to an emphatic 53-run victory against Australia in the second T20I.
Pat Cummins captured the sentiment perfectly, calling this potentially the 'last chance' for fans Down Under to witness these legends in action. With both stalwarts set to be 39 and 40 respectively by the 2027 World Cup, every appearance carries added significance. Ro-Ko have been the heartbeat of Indian cricket for over 15 years. Their return brings an emotional lift to the team and raises expectations for the series against the world champions.
At Rs 10.75 crore, the 35-year-old India discard is one the most expensive players signed by RCB at the mega auction.
Cummins, Hazlewood ruled out of Champions Trophy.
Josh Hazlewood took a five-wicket haul to skittle New Zealand for 162 on Day 1 of the second Test.
Australia's pacer Josh Hazlewood hasn't yet joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore team bubble for IPL 2022 and is unlikely to be available for at least another week.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Australia's Pat Cummins said they never considered going easy on Scotland in their final group match to eliminate England from the Twenty20 World Cup.
Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, and Sunil Narine emerged as rare bright spots-combining discipline, guile, and experience
Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood will take no further part in the increasingly ill-fated tour of India and will return home after failing to recover from an Achilles injury.
"We're deeply grateful for the swift coordination and support from the BCCI, local authorities, and the police who made this possible," the RCB statement added.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), already qualified for the playoffs, will aim to secure a top-two league stage finish when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash in Lucknow.
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