Rohit Sharma will certainly leave a gaping hole at the top of the order, something that skipper Virat Kohli wouldn't have fancied at the onset of a gruelling two-month tour.
The uncapped pair are the newcomers in captain Steven Smith's 15-man squad, which includes 10 players with less than 10 Tests, as Australia look to rebuild following a string of retirements after the Ashes defeat in England.
Burns made his debut in the 2014 Boxing Day Test when Lehmann was Australia's head coach. The right-handed batsman has been Australia's first choice as opening batsman alongside David Warner.
Paceman Mitchell Starc retains his place in the side despite what was perceived to be a sub-par performance in Adelaide, and will be looking for a strong performance in conditions which are expected to favour his skills at the new Perth Stadium.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
The humiliation in Adelaide has opened up 'serious wounds' for India and Australia now have a good chance of inflicting on the visitors a whitewash in the four-Test series, reckons former captain Ricky Ponting.
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.
Rohit maintains that turning tracks remain the team's strength and wants the struggling batters to find a way to score on them.
Ajinkya Rahane's India have a mountain to climb, even if a draw would be enough to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy two years after their breakthrough 2-1 win in the 2018/19 series in Australia.
Khawaja to battle Head for openers' spot as Australia name squad for first two Tests.
The former captain added, "So for Australia it's about enjoying it, working together and not looking too far ahead."
The India captain averages 62 in the eight Tests he has played in Australia, more than his career average of 53.40.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index of IPL 2023 after Game 42.
Wriddhiman Saha's groin injury is 'not serious' but his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad is expected to adopt a cautious approach after consultation with the BCCI's medical team as the senior wicketkeeper-batsman is Australia-bound after the T20 event.
Australia have named Michael Clarke in a 12-man squad for the first Test against India starting in Brisbane next week, but the hamstrung captain must prove his fitness in a tour match starting on Friday.
'I don't think Shami had any doubts that Ravi would stick by his word, but to see the head coach move heaven and earth to ensure his best interests were taken care of at a difficult time must have made a massive impact on him.' A fascinating excerpt from R Sridhar's must-read book Coaching Beyond: My Days with the Indian Cricket Team.
Photographs of the Day 4 play of the second Test between India and Australia being played in Brisbane.
Shaun Marsh and Matt Renshaw struck contrasting half-centuries on an engrossing day of cricket to help Australia take a first-innings lead of 48 against India in the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Playing only his second match at this year's IPL, Saha smashed 87 off 45 balls in Sunrisers Hyderabad's 88-run romp against Delhi Capitals.
The first Test between India and Australia is all set to be rescheduled as three of the senior cricketers in Shane Watson, David Warner and Brad Haddin are amongst those who have already said that they are not in perfect state of mind to return to competitive cricket.
With Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series against India, the scales are titled highly in favour of the hosts. History also shows that the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. With the Boxing Day Test around the corner, here is a quick look at how the teams stand.
Kohli is now five points clear after Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test
Rajneesh Gupta offers insights about the World Test Championship Final.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed career-best figures of eight for 50 to help Australia bundle out India for 189 on the first day of the second Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Despite his achievements with the bat, Virat Kohli has failed to achieve the success he craves as captain.
Kohli edged Warner to take fifth position after completing his 50th international century in the first match of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka in Kolkata on Monday.
Damp ground conditions at St Kitts forced the umpires to delay the start by an hour.
Ravichandran Ashwin held on to his top spot, while Ravindra Jadeja rose a rung to be fifth in the all-rounders' chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday.
Aaron Finch bows out as one of his country's greatest limited-overs players and as the captain who delivered Australia a first global T20 title in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.
Concussion substitute Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets as India beat Australia
If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket
Australia returned to the top of the Test world rankings on Wednesday after Steve Smith and Adam Voges steered the tourists to victory in the second Test against New Zealand to seal a comprehensive 2-0 series win.
After back-to-back series victories over Pakistan and New Zealand, Australian captain Tim Paine has fired a warning to Virat Kohli's India, who they will face in a series next year.
Kane Williamson is the second New Zealand batsman after Glenn Turner to top the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen following a man of the match performance in the Hamilton Test against Sri Lanka, which helped the home side win by five wickets and take the series 2-0.
There are those historic, memorable matches (the 1986 tied in Chennai, the Kolkata epic in 2001 and the Adelaide humdinger of 2015) that gripped our collective conscious.
Kohli's double ton was followed by a 50 in the second innings as he finished with 610 runs in the series, which India won 1-0 after the first and third Test ended in draws in Kolkata and New Delhi.
...it won't be a cakewalk Former England opener Mark Butcher says a series win in Australia will seal India's greatness
Injured Australia captain Michael Clarke completed an inspiring century after lunch on day two of the first Test against India on Wednesday, having returned to the crease following pain-killing injections on his back.
'... But India lacks solid backup to Bumrah, Shami, and Yadav. Bumrah is a fine paceman. He has very good durability. I think India needs to use him in such a way that he is as fresh as possible for each Test match.'
Eyeing a maiden Test series win Down Under, the Indian cricket team left for Australia Friday for a gruelling tour, which will see them play four matches in whites, three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances