India's formidable pace attack will not be as effective as New Zealand speedster Neil Wagner in bowling bouncers during their upcoming tour of Australia, believes wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. Wagner bowling a barrage of bouncers and dismissing Australia's three leading batsmen -- Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne -- a combined 10 times was one of the rare positives for New Zealand in an otherwise one-sided Test series last season.
Openers Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill fell for ducks as India 'A' batsmen struggled on the opening day of their three-day practice match against Australia 'A' at the Drummoyne Oval, in Sydney, on Sunday.
Paceman Tom Curran claimed a career-best five for 35 to derail Australia's chase in the inaugural match at Perth's new stadium and help England win the fifth and final one-dayer by 12 runs on Sunday.
Virat Kohli's side are determined to keep the momentum rolling into the second clash in Perth and inch closer to a breakthrough series triumph Down Under.
Khawaja passed a fitness Test on Monday after recovering from a hamstring injury and Langer confirmed the left-hander will bat at number three, while fast bowler Pattinson is set to feature in his first Test match since Feb. 2016.
Training sessions are the players' only break from the monotony of being holed up alone in their hotel rooms, so they have been taking to practice with gusto, said Carey.
Fast-rising Australian batsman Will Pucovski feels he has "earned the right" to be in the red-ball squad for the series against India and is better prepared to make his Test debut compared to a couple of seasons ago.
Penpix of players in Australia's Ashes squad.
Batting great Greg Chappell believes Australia can win the upcoming high-profile four-match Test series as India are "vulnerable" this time with injuries to key players like Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia have drawn inspiration from a miraculous draw against Pakistan two months ago and will be going for a win on day five of the first Test against India, in Adelaide, on Monday.
Australia opener Matt Renshaw is a doubt for the series-opening Test against Pakistan after suffering a head injury in a tour match in Dubai.
Hazlewood, Marsh named Australia's joint Test vice-captains
'We are looking at one session at a time'
'It's going to be different. It's a lot different wicket with the pink ball than Melbourne, so it is going to be a fresh start for both batters and bowlers.'
Under-pressure Australia batsman Usman Khawaja is "frustrated" after failing to convert a number of starts in the Ashes series but insists his batting is in a good place as he looks for form in the tour match against Derbyshire on Thursday.
'The pink ball Test is probably going to be a bit more challenging in terms of conditions and how the ball moves around in the evening and stuff like that.'
'He is a really exciting talent and probably the guy I am looking forward to seeing the most this summer. I have seen the Aussies a lot and I have seen a lot of the Kiwis, but I am really excited to see him'
'I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I'm gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine'.
Langer feels that spinner Nathan Lyon will have a role to play on the final day of the Pink Test as the wicket will support spin on Monday.
A superb cameo from Glenn Maxwell helped Kings XI Punjab overcome a poor start to their chase and win the battle of first-timers against Hobart Hurricanes by five wickets in the Champions League T20 in Mohali.
Leading a scandal-hit team dismissed as Australia's worst in 30 years, captain Tim Paine's pledge to win back hearts and minds seemed a fanciful, if noble, aspiration in the leadup to the Test series against Pakistan.
'I think they need to have a good look at how they're playing.'
Warner, himself, said he had no regrets but admitted he was thinking about Lara's record as he motored past 300.
India finished Day 2 of the second Test against Australia on a strong 277 for 5 in 91.3 overs, with a handy lead of 82 runs, and three days still left.
Having gone down swinging in an enthralling Adelaide Test, Australia barely have time to pick themselves up off the canvas before another potentially bruising contest against a confident India in Perth.
Kagiso Rabada produced a sublime spell of bowling to take five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 243 in their first innings on the opening day of the second Test on Friday.
Shubman Gill said it can be 'quite intimidating' to play cricket in Australia but asserted that his team will not back down when faced with either sledging or short-pitched deliveries during the four-Test series, starting in Adelaide on December 17.
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch wants the home team players to strike a fine balance when they confront Virat Kohli in the opening Test as he believes, if provoked too much, the India skipper can be ruthless against his opponents.
IMAGES from the 1st Test played between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne on Thursday
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Perth on Friday
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Having dismissed Australia for a paltry 145 in their first innings, Pakistan stretched their lead to a daunting 281 by stumps on day two with Zaman's 66 and an unbeaten 54 by Ali taking them to 144-2.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali differs with coach Trevor Bayliss and believes turning up the stump microphones could curb sledging in cricket.
Images from Day 2 of the 2nd Ashes Test played at Lord's Cricket Ground, London, on Thursday.
In the bowlers list, Bumrah achieved a career-high ranking of 28 while fellow teammate Mohammad Shami moved two places to 24th.
'No doubt it's their best preparation to be in those exact conditions, playing in probably the strongest domestic T20 tournament in the world.'
Former captain Michael Clarke has offered to help the embattled Australian cricket team 'in any way' he can as they deal with the fallout of ball-tampering bans to captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner.
'I haven't seen anyone sort of carry on so much as a captain when his side takes a wicket. It's really over the top but it's good in a way. You can see some passion about what he's trying to do'
The left-armer was made to toil on a typically lifeless pitch in the drawn first Test in Dubai, grabbing only a solitary wicket while conceding 108 runs for more than 40 overs' work in broiling heat.
41/4 is the worst start in a Test from which India has gone on to win a match. Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers.
