Australia coach Justin Langer has urged the struggling batsmen in his team to step up and deliver when the fifth and final Ashes Test against England starts at The Oval on Thursday.
'In cricket and in life, the graph always goes up and down and it's never going to always go up. So it's a just a matter of time that I middle those balls and get those big runs again. But right now, I want to ensure that my team is doing fine and is enjoying its game.'
Ajinkya Rahane's India have a mountain to climb, even if a draw would be enough to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy two years after their breakthrough 2-1 win in the 2018/19 series in Australia.
A summary of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
Steve Smith scored a sparkling century and put on 128 for the sixth wicket with Brad Haddin to rescue Australia and push the hosts to 326 all out shortly before close of play on the first day of the fifth Ashes Test against England on Friday.
Australia reclaimed the Ashes by dismissing England's last five batsmen after lunch on Tuesday for a 150-run victory in the third Test to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Relishing the challenge of squaring off against new Indian captain Virat Kohli in the fourth and final cricket Test in Sydney, Australian skipper Steve Smith described his rival number as an "emotional character".
Aggressive off-spin bowling from Graeme Swann and indifferent Australian batting allowed England to seize control of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played at Optus Stadium in Perth on Friday
Fabinho's first-half goal earned Liverpool a 1-0 win at Burnley
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Test between Australia and Sri Lanka on Thursday
The splendid catch Virat Kohli took in the slip to dismiss Peter Handscomb was his 100th in the first-class cricket, reveals Rajneesh Gupta.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Australia's Ryan Harris has moved up two places to second following his six wickets against India in the fourth Test at MCG.
Virat Kohli became only the third Indian to score a hundred on his captaincy debut as the visitors responded resolutely to Australia's mammoth first innings total by reaching 369 for five on the third day to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker scored a stunning header in the fifth minute of stoppage-time as Liverpool snatched a 2-1 victory at the death against relegated West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
Australia will need to defy history to chase down the total and survive the wiles of Ravichandran Ashwin on a fifth day pitch.
Head has been getting out playing 'nothing shots' and needs to work on his batting.
Timo Werner scored his first goal of the season as a much-changed Chelsea side crept into the fourth round of the League Cup by beating Aston Villa 4-3 on penalties after the Stamford Bridge clash ended 1-1 on Wednesday.
Captain Virat Kohli became the second fastest to 25 Test centuries before Usman Khawaja helped Australia extend their lead to 175 runs to give the hosts a slight upperhand at stumps on Day 3 in Perth on Sunday.
Opener Murali Vijay hit a half-century as India's batsmen survived some intense pressure from Australia's bowlers on the last day to draw the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane struck fluent centuries as India fought back bravely before a flurry of late wickets allowed a sloppy Australia to take a slight edge on stumps on Day 3 of the third Test, in Melbourne
India and Australia might be sworn enemies on the cricket field but the two nations have been united in mourning the death of Phillip Hughes.
Wade will instead head to New Zealand with Australia's Twenty20 squad for a five-match series starting on Feb. 22 in Christchurch.
"... they're (India) up against a really talented young Australian cricket team who have got plenty to prove'
The Gunners' only league defeat of the campaign was in September away to one of England's traditional top-six clubs, Manchester United, drawing criticism that their strong start to the season was based on wins against lesser opposition.
Cameron Green suffered a mild concussion after being hit on the head by a shot from Jasprit Bumrah
Following is a fact file on the first Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide and how the teams have performed at the Adelaide Oval over the years:
IMAGES from the Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has declared himself fit to play England in the second Ashes test in Adelaide after suffering an injury scare when he rolled his ankle on Monday.
Coach Misbah-ul-Haq and his fellow selectors have been criticised by Pakistan media for placing too much expectation on such young shoulders, particularly against an ascendant team that thrives on home pitches.
The missile was launched at 23:41 North Korea time from Jagang province in the north of the country, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
A summary of Sunday's action in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers across Europe.
An impressive England advanced to their first World Cup semi-final for 28 years on Saturday after headers by Harry Maguire and Dele Alli gave them a deserved 2-0 last-eight victory over a disappointing Sweden.
Australia moved within 201 runs of victory in the fourth Ashes Test with all 10 wickets in hand after routing England's second innings for 179 to wrest back the momentum on a roller-coaster fourth day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
A fit-again Irfan Pathan feels that he is close to bowling at his best and it's just a matter of time before he is again back in contention for the seam bowling all-rounder's slot in the Indian cricket team that has been up for grabs for some time.
The SCG may be perfect for the under-performing trio -- Pujara, Dhawan and Ashwin -- to regain their touch.
Harry Kane's 101st Premier League goal was the difference as Tottenham Hotspur earned a 1-0 win over Arsenal, to continue their fine recent form in north London derbies in front of a Premier League record crowd at Wembley on Saturday.
Before the two teams face off in a much-anticipated four-Test series starting on December 17, Australia A are scheduled to play two three-day tour games against India A, which features Test specialists.
Gearing up for the pace test that awaits India in Australia come December, batsman Rohit Sharma said the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle would be a tough challenge to deal with but the Indians are no longer intimidated by bouncy tracks Down Under.
Southampton were left in the Premier League's bottom three after losing an early lead to draw 1-1 at home to fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
