'A year ago, if you told me we were coming here I would have been very confident, they were struggling a fair bit, the batting looked like they weren't really sure how to go about it.'
Marnus Labuschagne has been practising batting on his home balcony on a rubber mat laden with pieces of taped aluminium sheeting to try to emulate the variable bounce and turn of Pakistan wickets as Australia readies for its first tour there since 1998.
New Zealand batter Kane Williamson remains at the top of the list with 883 rating points.
India would be pressing for a decisive first-innings lead in the contest when play resumes on Friday.
Opener Shubman Gill attained a career-best second position and is the highest-ranked among three India players who are now in the top 10.
Australia dominated the proceedings on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval.
The skipper is also counting on the likes of part-time spinners Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to pitch in the slow bowling department.
'I think just to tick it off in a World Cup and get the campaign started was a big thing for the guys' confidence obviously, we know that big pressure.'
Australia bowled out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller's defiant 101 but the chase was not as straightforward as Pat Cummins and his team would have liked.
Only two batters have managed to achieve this unique record before him.
'He could be a huge loss. However we've got Todd Murphy waiting in the wings. He's been bowling beautifully in the nets.'
IMAGES from Day 4 of the WTC Final played between Australia and India at The Oval in London on Saturday.
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram said the Indian fast bowling unit should not get 'carried away' with the new ball.
Australia Test skipper Tim Paine has tipped Marnus Labuschagne to be a future captain and says the top-order batsman's natural leadership qualities make him a great fit for the role.
Ashwin rose a place to second, while Ravindra Jadeja jumped seven rungs to be among the top-10 bowlers
Ravichandran Ashwin has maintained the top spot among bowlers
'To be able to then just work through it, and you could see there definitely was a shift after the second game just from his own performance, you'd see there's a little bit of extra intensity in him after that.'
The match is delicately poised after a see-saw battle on Monday with Australia on 107-3 in their second innings chasing a victory target of 281 to take a series lead.
Australia and West Indies are set to lock horns in five T20Is and three ODIs in July this year.
India dominates ICC Test Rankings
Australia's blockbuster four-Test series against India will be the greatest challenge Pat Cummins has faced in his young captaincy as he looks to conquer the "final frontier".
Rather than sweeping the ball, Australia's batters mainly attempted the front foot defence against the spinners besides stepping out to hit down the ground.
'It is about finding ways to score runs and contribute to the side in as many games as I can.'
Indian cricket team will not just be looking to win a third ODI global title but also look at saving the '50-over format' which has been battling identity crisis for at least five years now.
Images from the ICC Men's ODI World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Australia at the Ekana Sports City Stadium in Lucknow.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the third Ashes Test on Friday.
Former ICC elite umpire Simon Taufel said people cite the 'spirit of the game' when they don't like a dismissal under the laws of cricket.
Celebrating his 28th century, Kohli dedicated the monumental feat to his wife Anushka Sharma.
Glenn Maxwell smashed an unbeaten 201 off 128 balls, single-handedly guiding Australia to an improbable three-wicket win over Afghanistan.
India has lost three finals and on four occasion it bit dust at the semifinal stage. It also made an exit at the preliminary stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
England's exhilarating run chase to battle back into the Ashes series was even too much for captain Ben Stokes!
Resurgent Australia stand between unblemished India and World Cup glory
Mike Hussey believes spinner Adam Zampa and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will play a crucial role in the team's bid to clinch the World Cup in India.
They know what it takes to win the 50-over World Cup, having won five of them in 12 editions, but Australia skipper Pat Cummins says they are never "weighed down" by history and will stick to basics against South Africa in the second semi-final in Kolkata on Thursday.
Former Windies skipper Daren Ganga believes a change of franchise might help Sunil Narine.
Ahead of the WTC final between India and Australia, Ricky Ponting picked Australia's playing XI.
The Australian team will prepare for the six Tests by undergoing a high-intensity training camp in Beckenham, featuring centre-wicket practice and net sessions.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and Australia, at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur, on Saturday
Steve Smith ended his century drought and Marnus Labuschagne struck his first Test hundred abroad to steer Australia to 298/5 on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Friday.
