In the recently concluded five-match Test series against England, India's star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant stood tall as a beacon of determination, battling through injuries to deliver a string of gutsy, crowd-pleasing knocks that underlined his value to the side.
Cricket Australia will support any Aussie player who chooses not to return, as the focus shifts toward international duties -- particularly the World Test Championship final at Lord's on June 11.
South Africa's batting hero Aiden Markram has taken longer than expected to deliver on his promise, but a match-winning century against Australia in the World Test Championship final is being hailed as the biggest in the country's cricketing history.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik praised India's Test captain Shubman Gill after he scored a record-equalling fourth hundred in the fourth Test against England.
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
From 'hope to history': Cricketing world explodes with joy as SA finally win major ICC title
'If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine.'
Australia dominated the proceedings on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval.
There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period.
Ahead of the start of the WTC Final, Australian players read out AI's prediction of the match, which got underway at the Oval.
Australia legend Steve Waugh believes under-fire Rohit Sharma can't afford to be 'complacent or relax' if he wants to continue serving Indian cricket.
'...The players and staff deserve a lot of credit for the standard of cricket we have played over the past two years. It would be a great reward for everyone to finish as World Test Champions.'
Captain Rohit Sharma wasted no time as he joined the team's training session on Tuesday ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia next week.
Ravi Shastri sounded sceptical about the possibility of players getting extended gap after the IPL or practice games ahead of future WTC final matches.
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.
Pat Cummins, who is down with a back injury, will miss the upcoming white-ball games against New Zealand and India and also the Sheffield Shield matches in the run-up to the Ashes.
McDonald said team management were continually talking to senior players about their plans.
Sri Lanka, who are third in the WTC rankings behind already qualified Australia and India, will need to beat New Zealand 2-0.
'If I had to make a call whether to head back to India and finish the tournament, it would be an easy decision. It's a no from me. Lives and safety are the most important thing, not pay cheques.'
Australia's victory hinged on the dismissal of Virat Kohli on the final day.
WTC-bound SA players to miss play-offs after BCCI asks teams to release them by May 26
Head said the win was a culmination of the hard work put in over the last two years.
India face Australia in the WTC final on June 7 at The Oval in London.
Speaking as quoted by Fox Sports, Waugh said, "I think they have picked the team on winning these last two Test matches."
Both India and Australia were dealt injury scares with Ishan Kishan and Cameron Green suffering nasty blows.
Sri Lanka lead the standings with 100 PCT, having won both the Tests they have played in this cycle. They are followed by Australia, who have a PCT of 86.66.
India will miss Virat Kohli more than Rohit Sharma in the marquee Test series against England and the duo's recent retirement from the format will "hurt" the transitioning team's chances in the rubber starting on Friday, reckons the legendary Geoffrey Boycott.
Steve Smith has once again proved why he's Australia's go-to man in crunch matches-by eclipsing none other than Sachin Tendulkar in a major ICC knockout record.
''South Africa have got some world class batters and obviously they've got some unbelievable bowlers there as well so it's going to be a good challenge and obviously it's a one-off Test match.'
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.
Taking aim at senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, among others, he said that if their aim was to prolong their send-offs till after the Ashes, it was a wrong mindset.
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.
'There's going to be a lot of logistics involved given the IPL final is only a week before the WTC final'
Glenn McGrath said his prediction this time is based on how England were held to a 2-2 series draw by India in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy five-Test series.
Bavuma, in his Test journey of over a decade, as the first black batter for South Africa, has faced a lot of ups and downs. A magnificent century against England in Cape Town back in 2016 attached to him plenty of expectations.
For their next assignment in the ICC World Test Championship cycle, the two-time WTC runners up will aim to grab maximum points across those four home clashes. Here are five key questions the side must answer prior to their next Test match-up.
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.
Sourav Ganguly hoped that the seasoned batter makes "most" of the opportunity
Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood who missed the third Ashes Test and is set to return to the side in the fourth Test match against Australia, said that he was underprepared for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
