Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels that playing conditions in Sydney and Perth in the ongoing Test series between India and Australia exposed the "physical inadequacies of an ageing cricketer".
Following David Warner's retirement from Tests, Steve Smith opened the batting for Australia in series against West Indies and New Zealand.
'It was a team effort, and I am happy for Kumble and the boys that we came up with a remarkable win,' said the former India captain after India beat Australia by 72 runs to win the third Test.
The world's top two Test teams will clash in a five-match affair starting on November 22 in Perth and India will enter the contest having held the trophy for nearly a decade, which includes winning two consecutive series Down Under.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who knows a thing or two about grinding the Australian attack in their den, backs K L Rahul to bat at the vital number three slot in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He says the swashbuckling Yashasvi Jaiswal is capable of doing what David Warner did in his prime.
Set to return in Test cricket against India for the Perth Test on Friday, Australian paceman Ryan Harris is wary about breaking down again and said that he had "bad thoughts" about his recurring injury problems.
Australia have put fast bowlers Doug Bollinger and Nathan Coulter-Nile on standby for next week's third Ashes Test against England in Perth should any of the current pacemen break down during the second Test in Adelaide, starting on Thursday.
While India dominated visiting teams on spin-friendly wickets to put together 18 consecutive series wins at home in last 12 years, the choice to play on turning tracks against New Zealand backfired in Pune and Mumbai.
Pakistan are already depleted in attack, with injured quick Naseem Shah sidelined and Haris Rauf having opted out of the series to play in Australia's T20 Big Bash League.
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.
'When we go to Australia, they play India only at five Test centres. They don't play us in Canberra. They don't play us at any of the other venues where they won't be very familiar with the conditions. So do England'
Naib joins the Capitals for his base price of Rs 50 lakh.
Khurrum Shahzad was one of the few success stories for Pakistan in the first Test against Australia in Perth.
Ranjan Madugalle has requested the rival captains to be present for a 'cool-off' session at Perth on Monday.
Maxwell has starred with bat and ball in Australia's white ball teams since coming back from his broken leg last year.
Mayank Yadav should be on the plane to Australia if Mohammed Shami is not available for selection, asserted Brett Lee, one of the most destructive fast bowlers of all time, who has high hopes from the Indian pace sensation on the true, bouncy wickets Down Under.
'That's one we need to tick off, definitely, in particular at home... we should pretty much win every series here at home.'
Ashwin, Rohit ruled out of 2nd Test.
In the bowlers list, Bumrah achieved a career-high ranking of 28 while fellow teammate Mohammad Shami moved two places to 24th.
Hanuma Vihari, part of India's back to back series wins in Australia, reckons the services of veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be be dearly missed when the team aims for a hat-trick Down Under later this year.
Hitting out at the Australian players for their mindless sledging during the Perth Test, former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff described it as "outright abuse".
Johnson sidelined for Aus tour of UK
'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'
India discard Gautam Gambhir is training in Perth under former Australia Test batsman Justin Langer to revive his international career, fine-tuning skills that made him the world's number one Test batsman in 2009.
India have won all the last four series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking into account their home wins in 2016-17 and 2022-23 -- both also 2-1 results in a four-match contest.
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
Virat Kohli has succumbed to spin three times in the first two Tests, while scoring just 68 runs in four innings.
Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith believe that Virat Kohli is an Australian in the way he thinks, acts, and has the desire to perform in big games.
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.
A survivalist's mindset sees Indian batsmen fail again on the first day of the SCG Test.
Australia are perhaps fortunate that there is such a short gap between Tests given the navel-gazing that is likely to follow their first defeat in the opening test of a home Summer for 28 years.
Australia captain Steve Smith led by example, smashing an unbeaten 108 against a sloppy Pakistan to secure his team's seven-wicket victory with five overs to spare in the third one-day international in Perth on Thursday.
India pacer Mohammed Shami said on Monday that he is completely pain-free and is still not out of reckoning for the marquee Test tour of Australia starting next month.
A star-studded Delhi Daredevils will be up against the experience of Perth Scorchers in its bid to close in on a semifinal berth when the two sides clash in a group A match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Cape Town on Sunday.
Australia ripped through South Africa's top order in the first hour, dismissed the tourists for 242 by tea and reached 105 without loss at close on the back of some Dave Warner fireworks on the opening day of the first Test on Thursday.
Serena Williams backed the searing Perth conditions as perfect preparation for her Australian Open title bid but the weather proved too hot for Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.
'The real problem for Shaheen Afridi is the pressure of being the spearhead of this Pakistan attack and without much real support at the other end when it comes to pace, genuine pace.'
Two teams with fault lines in their batting, up against two of the best bowling sides in the game today -- the question that determines the outcome is, is your weakness greater than mine?
'We stuck to our guns and delivered skill under pressure and managed to keep ahead in the game'
