Kiwi Ross Taylor's mammoth 290 in the WACA Test against Australia, propelled him to the top-10 list
Skipper Ayush Badoni played the most defining knock of his short but eventful first-class career as his maiden double hundred not only gave Delhi three points against Jharkhand but more importantly kept them in contention for a possible quarter-final berth in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday.
Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz says he will use the 'Doosra' during the third Test against the West Indies, and is confident about bouncing back in Perth after putting in a lacklustre performance in Adelaide last week.
He however admitted that that his batsmen could have done better on the bouncy track.
Shafali Verma managed just 108 runs in six matches this year with 33 being the highest.
The friction started during India's arrival in Perth last month, when the Australian media criticised the visitors for holding private training sessions at the WACA.
Kohli is struggling for big runs of late and his last Test century was against the West Indies at Port of Spain in July 2023.
Curator Cameron Sutherland says the hot conditions prevailing in Perth have taken some sting out of the "green" WACA surface, but the pitch will still suit fast bowlers in the third Test between India and Australia, beginning Friday.
Harshit Rana could pose a strong challenge to senior teammate Prasidh Krishna as they battle it out for the third pacer's slot in the India playing XI for the opening Test against Australia in Perth.
Images from Day 5 of the 3rd Ashes Test played at the WACA in Perth on Monday
Picking up where he left off in the first Test in Brisbane, the opener scored 244 not out for his third century in three innings as the hosts dominated New Zealand's bowlers as ruthlessly as they had in the 208-run victory at the Gabba.
India will be accorded a tough welcome to Australia as the Optus Stadium pitch for the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been prepared to offer "good bounce and pace"
Australia dismissed South Africa for 225 despite another dogged rearguard action from Faf du Plessis before moving shakily to 33-2 at the close of play on a thrilling first day of the third Test at the WACA on Friday.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood claimed the Men's Test Player-of-the-Year award. It marked his first Australian Cricket Award, with Hazlewood taking 30 wickets at just 13.16 in Tests against the West Indies, New Zealand, and India.
India's struggling batsmen should brace up for a very tough battle if Australia decide to field an all-out pace attack on the dreaded WACA track during the third Test in Briabane, feels former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood.
Australia captain Michael Clarke exuded confidence on his fast bowlers, saying whether there is a four-pronged pace attack or not, it is good enough to take the wickets in the third Test against India, at the WACA in Perth, beginning Friday.
Indian Grandmaster Gukesh made history on Thursday, becoming the youngest-ever to win the world title defeating Liren in the 14th and final game of the championship in Singapore.
Gill has been placed as an option for the opening slot alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in case Rohit Sharma is not available for the first Test following the birth of his second child on Friday.
England's Stuart Broad was taken to hospital for a scan on an injured foot during the third day of the third Ashes Test on Sunday in a further blow to the struggling tourists.
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
India's batters must now prepare for the switch from the turning tracks on home soil to the pace and bounce of Australian pitches.
Several other pacers are unavailable due to injury including Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis.
Steve Smith and Adam Voges scored the fifth and sixth centuries of the second Test to give Australia a lead of 193 after Ross Taylor's epic 290 brought New Zealand back into the contest on day four on Monday.
The Indian team is brave and supremely confident in its ability to win from any situation, said England's all-time great Alastair Cook.
Ashwin's age is certainly a factor that is being kept in consideration.
Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey sparkled with half-centuries but rest of India's batsmen put up a lackluster performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match at the WACA, in Perth, on Saturday.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
'...there'll be nerves and a bit of pressure, but that's all part of it, and I'm just excited to see what it all brings.'
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
Looking to exploit the fast and bouncy conditions at the WACA, Australian opener Aaron Finch has said his team would look to corner the Indians early on in the opening ODI on January 12.
India 'A' will play two first-class matches against Australia 'A' in the run-up to the marquee Border Gavaskar Trophy later this year, CA announced on Tuesday.
Richards could mentor the team in the World Cup a role fulfilled by former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden in the last two T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 where Pakistan reached the semi-final and final.
The series is likely to start in late November this year.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
Chess icon Viswanathan Anand feels the current crop of Indian players, that he has had a role in shaping, has turned out to be "great" in grabbing crucial opportunities.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
The India vice-captain, who didn't play in the match, obliged fans at the WACA in Perth by clicking selfies with them and signing autographs.
