When I think of the character of this team, our never-say-die attitude stands out. There are only three of us who have played over 50 Tests, but we never back down from a challenge
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon doesn't believe Australia's preparations for the World Test Championship final will be affected by the talk around the Ashes.
Hazlewood returned to Australia after reporting "minor side soreness" following his most recent IPL match for RCB
'You need all the departments to do well for you,' Rohit Sharma explained. 'And I thought our strength really has been all three departments.'
The legendary Sachin Tendulkar found senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's exclusion from India's playing XI for the World Test Championship final baffling.
Australia dominated the proceedings on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
India's 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh in Mirpur on Sunday consolidated their position at the No 2 spot behind leaders Australia in the ICC World Test Championship standings.
Australia took the upper hand in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's, ending day two on 144-8 in their second innings with a lead of 218 runs after wickets tumbled freely again on Thursday.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
'1st look at Inaugural men's test championship wicket. Needs a shave.'
India have recalled Ajinkya Rahane to reinforce their batting line-up, which will have to be at its best to negate the Australian attack.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
McDonald said team management were continually talking to senior players about their plans.
South Africa are confident they can chase down a spot in next year's World Test Championship final, even if they must win four of their remaining five Tests in the current two-year cycle
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Ravi Shastri sounded sceptical about the possibility of players getting extended gap after the IPL or practice games ahead of future WTC final matches.
'There's going to be a lot of logistics involved given the IPL final is only a week before the WTC final'
The surface displayed a cover of lush green grass, although it is worth noting that there are still a day remaining until the game begins.
This is India's second appearance in the WTC final after losing the inaugural game in 2021 to New Zealand.
The weather forecast for Day 6 of the World Test Championship Final looks promising
India face Australia in the WTC final on June 7 at The Oval in London.
Australia and India control their own destiny as they edge towards the conclusion of the competition
India's two-Test series against hosts Sri Lanka will be played in Galle and Colombo from August 15 to 27.
India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate conceded that too many players have batted at number three in Test matches after Cheteshwar Pujara's retirement and it was time that either Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal is given a long rope at the key batting position.
Head said the win was a culmination of the hard work put in over the last two years.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players as superstars' while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri has backed K L Rahul to seal his place as a wicketkeeper-batter for the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June.
Rahane's comeback after 15 months was on predictable lines
Captain Rohit Sharma believes all individuals showed a lot of character and stepped up when needed to take India to the World Test Championship final for the second consecutive time.
Rabada spent a month on the sidelines at the Indian Premier League after testing positive for a recreational drug at this year's SA20 competition.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
Sri Lanka, who are third in the WTC rankings behind already qualified Australia and India, will need to beat New Zealand 2-0.
The truth of the matter is that India lost their second successive WTC final on day two of this encounter when they collapsed to 71/4 in response to Australia's first-innings total of 469.
Rohit Sharma blamed poor bowling in the first innings for their crushing defeat
Ahead of the start of the WTC Final, Australian players read out AI's prediction of the match, which got underway at the Oval.
Lyon emphasised that the World Test Championship format removes the possibility of "dead rubbers" in individual series, ensuring that every match remains important and competitive, with every point carrying weight within the two-year cycle.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Sourav Ganguly hoped that the seasoned batter makes "most" of the opportunity
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said he was pleased to confirm two iconic venues for the next two cycles.
