A turner in Pune exposed the soft underbelly of Indian batters' technique against slow bowling but as per the current team's philosophy, it has decided to take the bull by its horns by asking for a turner where the ball might turn at right angles from first hour.
Mayank Yadav should be on the plane to Australia if Mohammed Shami is not available for selection, asserted Brett Lee, one of the most destructive fast bowlers of all time, who has high hopes from the Indian pace sensation on the true, bouncy wickets Down Under.
Panesar feels the concept of WTC is a great advertisement of Test cricket and the former spinner went on to term the summit clash as an encounter similar to arch-rivals India and Pakistan playing a Test match or the Ashes.
The ICC has also allocated a Reserve Day to make up for any lost time during the regular days of the Final, scheduled to be played from 18 to 22 June, with 23 June set aside as the Reserve Day.
New Zealand have already booked their spot for the inaugural WTC final, leaving India, England and Australia vying for the other.
India's star batters have lost a lot of confidence over the years by playing on rank turners, with their home averages taking a beating and affecting their careers adversely, feels former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.
'I know Indian conditions quite well, the turf is a little bit more red here and in terms of that, it is generally a more spinning condition. So, expecting the ball to spin more than the first Test'
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
Australian batter Steve Smith on Thursday said his bowlers reaped the benefits of relentlessly targeting the off stump.
Rohit cops blow on left thumb day before WTC final
Another tough choice India need to make is in the wicket-keeping department.
Kohli highlighted that the nuances of the format cannot be fully utilised through just one match, and especially when it's to determine the world champions of Test cricket.
When you are defending to save a game, a loose delivery comes along and you suddenly opt to play an attacking shot, you are unlikely to hit as well as if you were playing your naturally aggressive game all along. First Pant, then Jaiswal, found that out the costly way, observes Prem Panicker.
'Amidst all the chaos and scathing assessments, I feel it's very important to acknowledge all my team mates who played in this cycle.'
The ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand in Southampton will be held in the presence of 4000 spectators, Hampshire County Club head Rod Bransgrove said.
New Zealand on Monday named a strong squad, which includes five spin bowling options
India arrived in Bengaluru seeking a big win over the 2021 champions to improve their chances of making a third successive final in June 2025, but will now need to battle to keep alive their run of 18 straight home series victories since 2012.
The story of Ravichandrean Ashwin remains incomplete without the mention of Ravindra Jadeja.
'The most important thing is that they will always have my back. Aim to make it a happy and secure dressing room.'
'Pathum Nissanka is easily one of the best batters to have come out of Sri Lanka in the recent past and he has delivered once again,' he tweeted with an applause emoji.
The batter wore underpants custom made to commemorate Australia's 4-0 Ashes victory over England in 2021-2022.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Tuesday.
Australia might experiment in the group stage to find their best XI. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa will play a crucial role while left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is also expected to be in the mix.
The 39 year-old has played 86 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for South Africa with a total of 544 international wickets.
'Everyone in the contingent will be undergoing 14-day quarantine in India'
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to release the 'Playing Conditions' for the WTC final. Also, before boarding the flight to London, for the England tour, every male and female member needs to carry six RT-PCR negative results.
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel said India have all the 'bases covered' for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, to be played in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
The Meteorological (MeT) department of the UK has predicted a 30 per cent chance of precipitation during the afternoon,
South Africa's decision to send a second-string side for Tests in New Zealand was a "wake-up call", said Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley.
Young opener Shubman Gill is looking in good rhythm and should continue to open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, former India batsman VVS Laxman said on Tuesday.
The 51-year-old Dravid's tenure as Head Coach ended with this T20 World Cup triumph. Dravid was appointed India coach in 2021.
In the previous update, India had more points in their kitty despite being tied with Australia at 118 rating points each.
Outgoing head coach Rahul Dravid expressed his confidence in India's ability to win their first ICC trophy in over a decade
Speaking on the sidelines of the WTC Final, Kiwi great Ross Taylor said players need to be paid adequately to continue playing international cricket.
'The batting has been the one which has caused us problems every time we go overseas. Why is it happening?'
The four-Test Border Gavaskar Trophy that promises a lot of twists and turns, engrossing sub-plots and probably career-defining performances.
In 10 days from now, Gill and Sharma will open the Indian innings in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London.
The final of the World Test Championship between India and New Zealand in June will be staged in a bio-secure bubble at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, the International Cricket Council said said on Wednesday.
Ahmedabad will also host the final Test, though with the traditional red ball, and the pitch is unlikely to be vastly different from the one that saw 30 wickets fall in five sessions in the shortest completed Test match since 1935.
