'It's a tough gig, opening in Test cricket, but we're really confident Marcus has got what it takes to be a successful Australian opening batsman.'
Australia captain Ricky Ponting has been ruled out of Friday's Twenty20 clash against India with a back injury.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against India.
Fast bowler Shaun Tait and all-rounder Brad Hogg have been recalled to the Australia side for the first Test against India.
The Australian fast bowler said he was confident of being fit in time to play in the third cricket Test on December 26.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
CA said it had built quarantine periods for touring squads into the schedule but it is unlikely at this stage that England fans will be able to travel
Captain Joe Root has denied trying to heap the blame on his bowlers for England's poor start to the Ashes series but insists they must be braver with the length of their bowling in the now crucial third Test.
Marsh, Smith dig Australia out of a hole in Pakistan Test
In the first Test, while will be a day-night contest in Adelaide, 50 per cent of the total capacity of the crowd will be allowed to enter the stadium.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be staged in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29, and India will begin its title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan in Adelaide on February 15, the International Cricket Council announced on Tuesday.
The winner of Tuesday's match between England and New Zealand will take on the hosts in the best-of-three finals.
Opener Kusal Mendis struck an unbeaten 69 off 58 balls to help secure a consolation five-wicket victory for Sri Lanka, who fired with both bat and ball against Australia in the fifth and final Twenty20 international on Sunday.
The England captain said his own form and that of many of his team mates lacked the quality needed to be taking on the Australians on home soil.
The Australian leg-spinner now has 999 international wickets, leaving him on the cusp of another remarkable achievement.
Warne clean bowled England opener Andrew Strauss for 50 on the second ball of his fourth over.
Indian captain Mahendra Singh blamed his opening bowlers for the four-wicket loss against Australia in their cricket tri-series match in Melbourne.
Waugh claimed his 33rd Test win as captain from 44 matches, passing Allan Border's Australia mark of 32 from 93 Tests.
The fourth Test ended in a draw late on day five, with home captain Smith's unbeaten 102 saving Australia and doling out another portion of frustration for England's bowlers, who toiled fruitlessly on a flat Melbourne Cricket Ground strip.
With an eye on the gruelling Australia series that follows the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, the Indian Tests specialists including Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari have begun preparations for the pink ball Test against Australia at the ICC Academy in Dubai, from Friday evening.
As Team India prepares to take on the mighty Kangaroos in their own land in Melbourne on the Boxing Day, it may be interesting to go down memory lane and remember our two remarkable victories at this historic venue.
'We are the only side who have competed well against Australia in the last few years,' the former India captain asserted.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is under pressure to produce a pitch that delivers a fairer contest between bat and ball in the Boxing Day Test
Suryakumar Yadav peppered the Zimbabwe bowlers across the MCG on Sunday, once again leaving his mark on the T20 World Cup with a sensational 61 not out from 25 balls.
Shaun Tait fiery spell ensured Australia complete the clean sweep, as the hosts beat Pakistan by two runs in the one-off Twenty20 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Australia defeated West Indies by a massive 177 runs to win the second Test match in Melbourne and claim the series 2-0.
All eyes will be on star India batter Virat Kohli, who is perhaps battling the biggest form crisis of his career.
Rahane was left to pick up the pieces at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and responded in emphatic style.
England cricket captain Jos Buttler said his team retained an advantage playing last in the final round of group matches at the Twenty20 World Cup as they will know exactly what is needed in terms of net run-rate to reach the semi-finals.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and India, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Tuesday.
James Faulkner was the pick of Australia's fast bowlers. He took three wickets as the hosts cruised to a comfortable victory over South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday to level the three-match Twenty20 series.
As India broke a long-standing World Cup jinx against South Africa in Melbourne, appreciation and congratulatory messages poured in from the cricket fraternity which hailed the team's "terrific" all-round performance in front of a packed MCG.
Paul Collingwood hit a superb century to guide England to a nailbiting four-wicket victory over Australia in the opening tri-series final match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said England batsman Kevin Pietersen's absence from the one-day tri-series in Australia was a major blow to the tournament.
England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the rest of the one-day tri-series after breaking a rib when he was struck by a Glenn McGrath delivery in the first match against Australia on Friday.
