Nathan McSweeney had a disappointing start to his international career after being ousted by Bumrah for 10 and zero in the first Test at Perth.
David Warner joined former captain Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft in deciding not to contest the sanctions imposed on him by his cricket board for his role in last month's ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Back-to-back Test series wins over Australia are almost unheard of but India have won the last four they have played.
The debate over the vacant slot at the top of the Australia batting order continues to captivate the nation's sports media a month before the opening clash in a blockbuster five-Test series against India.
Former skipper Steve Waugh has heaped praise on the current Australia captain Steven Smith, labeling him 'the gap hitter I've ever seen'. A guest speaker at the India Today Conclave 2016 in New Delhi, Waugh was asked to describe the prototype for his perfect batsmen, which involved him cherry-picking the greatest strengths from the best players he's seen. Waugh praised Smith's ability to pierce the field with his 'strong and subtle wrist'. "I think Steve Smith would be in there purely because he's the best gap hitter I've ever seen of any cricketer," he said. "If you watch him bat, he rarely hits the ball to the fieldsmen. That's why he scores so many runs. "Even though his technique is not great, he finds the gaps incredibly well." Smith had recently accepted that it's timing and form that he relies on when looking to go big. "For me, hitting sixes is about trying to keep my shape as much as possible," Smith said last week.
Kohli trails Smith by 26 points and will have to produce a string of strong performances to leapfrog the Australian.
Australia's Steve Smith is back on top of the list of batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after India captain Virat Kohli could manage only 21 runs in his two innings in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which his side lost by 10 wickets to concede a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. This is the eighth time that Smith is on top of the rankings after first occupying the top position in June 2015.
Steve Smith has branded India favourites to win the T20 World Cup after Virat Kohli's side outclassed Australia in a warm-up match on Wednesday.
Australia buried India under an avalanche of runs for a 51-run drubbing in the second ODI and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after the majestic Steve Smith produced another master-class in the form of a 64-ball 104, in Sydney, on Sunday.
Pat Cummins, 28, becomes only the second specialist fast bowler to take the captaincy after Ray Lindwall, who led for one Test against India in the mid-1950s.
India's assistant coach also Ryan ten Doeschate also lauded Starc for his excellent display with the pink ball.
Australia captain Steve Smith brushed off concerns about his fitness on the eve of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England on Wednesday before Mitchell Starc's return to spearhead the pace attack was confirmed as the only change to his team.
India aim to seal series as Tilak Varma looks for quality batting time
Once in a while, everyone is allowed a bit of slump in form and Steve Smith is no exception, stated David Warner, who can relate to his former skipper's woes against India having endured a similarly wretched run during the 2019 Ashes in England.
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.
Steve Smith and Travis Head join top-ranked Marnus Labuschagne following their centuries in the ICC World Test Championship Final against India.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticised the International Cricket Committee (ICC) for not taking any action against Australia captain Steve Smith over a decision review controversy in this week's Bengaluru Test.
Ahead of the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Tophy, Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith opened up on the mistakes made by the visitors in the first two Tests.
Veteran Smith, IPL sensation Fraser-McGurk ignored; Marsh to lead Aus at T20 WC
Smith's (28) ODI haul of 568 runs at 63.11 from 10 innings were enough to pip Finch (23) who scored 673 runs at 56.08 from 13 innings.
Smith was handed a one-year ban along with his then deputy David Warner exactly a year ago for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
England star Joe Root is cementing his status as one of the greatest players as he achieved new career-high rating in the latest ICC Men's Test Batter Rankings.
Australia's batting star Steve Smith on Monday said he would be willing to take part in the IPL if the T20 World Cup scheduled in his country for October-November is postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The BCCI is eyeing the September-October window for the indefinitely postponed IPL with the T20 World Cup unlikely to take place.
The 37-year-old spat blood and was feeling his jaw before leaving the ground.
The Australia team has come in for criticism from former players over various issues including their approach and selection.
By avoiding the follow-on and standing firm against Australia's aggression, India ensured that they stayed alive in the series.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the WTC Final played between Australia and India at The Oval in London on Thursday.
Steve Smith continued his sizzling form with an unbeaten century as Australia laid a strong foundation on the first day of the second Test .
The Australian Cricketers' Association have always contested the bans were overly-harsh and have continued to push for all three to be able to return to representative cricket immediately.
Former captain Smith, who has endured boos from the home crowds for his role in last year's ball-tampering scandal but has responded by piling up 671 runs in five innings, said it was incredibly special to retain the Ashes in England, something Australia have not done for 18 years.
India mounted a positive reply after Steve Smith's unbeaten 178 and Glenn Maxwell's maiden century powered Australia to a series-high 451 on day two of the third Test in Ranchi on Friday.
In a nail-biting finish at the MCG, Australia clinched a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first ODI on Monday night.
- 'I think they've made a very brave and good decision in making Steve the captain' - 'I'm comfortable where my game's at, everything's going in the right direction, I'd just like to get more runs'
Banned Australian duo Steve Smith and David Warner will look to share their wealth of experience with budding cricketers when they make their highly anticipated return to club cricket in Sydney on Saturday.
Steve Smith has demanded his team's batsmen lift their output and score centuries against South Africa in the wake of their humbling six-wicket loss in the second Test at Port Elizabeth.
'Any time Smith and Stoinis are there there's a chance. They are both quality players and given the opportunity, they would have taken the match closer.'
Joe Root became England's most successful batter after he became the first batter from his nation to go past the 19,000-run mark
Steve Smith may have been disgraced for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa but newly-appointed Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane said that he still respects him as a world-class batsman.
The blockbuster series will be a survival of the fittest as Australia look to avenge successive losses on home soil when they go head-to-head from Friday.
Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances