Captain Pat Cummins reflected on the significance of this Christmas gathering, highlighting the strong bond within the Australian cricket team.
The skipper, however, lamented that his team often stood at the receiving end of such decisions.
Watching India and Australia compete in the series-deciding fifth Test was some experience for the 54-year-old American tennis legend.
An astute reader of the game both on and off the field, Ashwin might have gauged what was in store going forward and that perhaps made it easier for him to take a call.
He warned the players that failure to follow his game plans would result in them being dropped from the team.
Aryna Sabalenka took a step closer to a first trophy of the year before her Australian Open title defence begins later this month.
Fans passed 'rude' comments during the Indian team's nets in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Rishabh Pant scored a watchful 98-ball 40 in India's 185 all out on the opening day in Sydney.
'I saw him quite emotional on the field yesterday.' 'That's unusual for us to see Rohit like that.'
Shubman Gill has made far too many changes in his batting approach, which is hindering his run-scoring ability on away tours, feels former Australian captain Ricky Pointing
India's champion pacer says bowling to Steve Smith has always been a challenge.
Nitish Reddy's remarkable maiden Test century on Day 3 in the fourth Test against Australia helped India keep the first innings deficit to 105 runs, which could have been in excess of 200 after the visitors were reduced to 221 for 7 in reply to the hosts' 474 at one stage.
Out-of-form skipper Rohit Sharma's batting position will be in focus against a dangerous Australia
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Images from Day 8 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday.
Rahul will come in place of Baba Indrajith, who scored 9 and 6 and didn't look comfortable at all against pace and bounce, which wasn't exactly 125 clicks.
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.
The opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground saw its share of thrilling moments, the stump mic provided a unique insight into the intensity within the Indian camp.
Konstas lived up to the hype around his talent by smashing an impressive 60 off 65 balls when the Boxing Day Test
Teenager Konstas to make debut in fourth Test against India
'I've got a few plans against those (Indian) bowlers. Feeling like I'm moving really nice and hopefully I get that opportunity.'
Images from Day 5 of the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
Travis Head played down concerns over his fitness after appearing to struggle with a potential groin issue
It could also open the door for in-form Andhra all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a historic maiden Test century during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
'Even in domestic cricket, we don't have red-ball cricket back home. So the challenge for us is to make yourself ready in such a short time.'
Images from Day 3 of the 2025 Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
'It's not really up to Rohit Sharma.' 'The chairman of selectors has the power to do what's best for Indian cricket, so it's not so much about Rohit himself deciding what should be the future.'
An unnamed senior player, who has projected himself as 'Mr. Fix-It,' is said to harbour doubts about the readiness of younger teammates to assume leadership roles.
India's cricketers and staff have been cleared of COVID-19
As India continues to struggle in the series, the pressure is mounting on Rohit to rediscover his rhythm and lead from the front.
Katich agrees that if Mitchell Marsh isn't contributing with the ball, then Australia's National Selection Panel will need to have a look at the combination considering the all-rounder's poor returns with the bat.
'We were not thinking about a series win because we were just bowled out for 36.' 'The mood in the dressing room was a bit down. Ravi Bhai organised a team dinner. He arranged for karaoke, he started singing. He sang old Hindi songs. Everybody joined in.'
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.
both Kohli and Rohit have struggled to find their best form, attracting scrutiny following India's recent 0-3 series loss against New Zealand.
Steve Smith has said he had never encountered a wicket like the one at the SCG
Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the lone bright spot with a record haul of 32 wickets.
History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
Young Sam Konstas took the world by surprise with his aggressive approach in the Boxing Day Test, and the skipper lauded the teenager's adaptability.
Shubman Gill fell to a bizarre dismissal to a loose shot off the final ball of the morning session.
Mohammed Shami is set to compete in the last two Tests of the ongoing series against Australia with his playing kit already headed Down Under
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