Australia's middle order enforcer Josh Inglis said their depleted side will draw a lot of confidence after pulling off a record chase against England in their Champions Trophy opener on Saturday.
But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
Australia carved out an 82-run lead over West Indies on day two of the first Test in Barbados on Thursday, with the hosts frustrated by several close umpiring calls that went against them.
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
From Jasprit Bumrah's much-anticipated return to the all-rounder conundrum, the playing XI could very well hold the key to seizing control of this historic series.
Rahane lauded Gill's temperament under pressure, especially after India had lost the opening Test.
England head coach Brendon McCullum believes India have arrived well-prepared and full of belief for the upcoming five-match Test series
India's historic first-ever Test win at Edgbaston by a massive 336 runs after losing the first Test was a triumph of Grit, Resilience, Excellence, Aggressiveness, and Tactfulness, a truly GREAT performance that will be remembered for years, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur on Sunday
'It's also a great opportunity for myself and it's good to pass on a little bit of knowledge to the younger guys who haven't played as much Test cricket. And I am also learning from them.'
David Miller's 100 came off 67 balls. Virender Sehwag took 77 balls for his century.
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
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.
Pant now has three Test centuries on English soil.
Punjab Kings will look to renew their bid for a play-off berth with another commanding performance in Jaipur on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals, who have failed to rise above mediocrity despite possessing the resources this season.
'The ideal thing would be for India may be to chase, rather than having Australia chase.'
The unexpected 10-day break has left both the RCB and the KKR with different goals to achieve and common challenges to hurdle over.
Josh Inglis smashed a maiden ODI century (120 not out) to lead Australia to a thrilling five-wicket victory over England in a high-scoring Champions Trophy match.
Josh Inglis slammed a brilliant century as Australia completed the highest chase in an ICC men's tournament against England in Lahore on Saturday.
The Minister for Housing, Waqf, and Minority Affairs in the Siddaramaiah-led government claimed that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were to give him a suicide bomb, he would tie it to himself and go to Pakistan to fight.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday condemned Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah's controversial remarks about Colonel Sofia Qureshi, a senior Army officer who briefed the media along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh during Operation Sindoor.
American Noah Lyles made an impressive season debut in the 200 metres to beat Olympic champion Letsile Tebogo at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on Friday, where Kenyan Emmanuel Wanyonyi outclassed a high-class 800 metres field.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane shed light on one moment in the first innings that completely changed the "momentum" against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of Indian Premier League 2025.
Shreyas Iyer's tactical call to promote Josh Inglis to No 3 to counter Lucknow Super Giants' tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav proved vital in Punjab Kings' victory.
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
The second Test hangs in the balance after West Indies speedster Jayden Seales dismissed Australia's openers in a damaging late spell on Day 2 of the second Test.
RCB's success so far in IPL 2025 hasn't just rested on Kohli and Hazlewood.
Rizvi, Nair power DC to six-wicket win over Punjab Kings
India finished day three of the second Test on 64/1 to lead England by 244 runs after they dismissed the hosts for 407 in the first innings at Edgbaston on Friday.
Virat Kohli remains the biggest draw as he returns to his 'home ground' at the back of five half-centuries in nine games. Four of them have come away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium and despite being in the opposition camp, the Delhi crowd will be hoping the Indian superstar extends his prolific run in the tournament.
Virat Kohli has been with RCB since the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008, including nine seasons as captain of a franchise that made the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 but lost every time.
RCB have bolstered their bowling attack with the acquisition of Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood for Rs 12.50 crore
Kohli has constructed a mini hot streak, making four fifties in his last five innings and pushing for Orange Cap with 443 runs.
Shubman Gill played a masterful captain's knock with his second century of the series on the opening day of the second Test
Andrew Flintoff's 17-year-old son Rocky and fit-again pacer Chris Woakes were on Wednesday named in England Lions squad for the two four-day games against India A at home.
England skipper Jos Buttler expressed delight in Ben Duckett's record-breaking knock even as he hailed Australia for chasing down a massive total of 352 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore on Saturday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Wednesday, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer hinted that Glenn Maxwell is ruled out for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season due to a finger injury.
Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, and Sunil Narine emerged as rare bright spots-combining discipline, guile, and experience
'My coaches gave me just one role, which is to hit the stumps, whether I bowl legbreak, googly, flipper or any other variation.'
Openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli will brace for a fiery showdown against thunderbolts from express pacer Jofra Archer as Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru look to get back to winning ways in the IPL match in Jaipur on Sunday.
