India will be hoping to pull off a miracle on Sunday by surviving Australia's relentless bowling onslaught.
High on confidence after their convincing victory in the fourth Test against England at The Oval, the Indian team got to business straightaway as they prepared for the fifth and final Test in Manchester.
India need not lose sleep over Virat Kohli's absence in the last three Tests against Australia but Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara will have to shoulder extra responsibilities, batting great Sunil Gavaskar said.
India are set to play a Test against England from July 1 to July 5.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane's position in group A of the BCCI central contracts could be up for deliberation
Gill's first game as No. 3, replacing the dogged Cheteshwar Pujara, didn't start well.
Cheteshwar Pujara is set to play his 100th Test when the second Test gets underway on Friday, and ahead of the milestone match, Pujara opened up on his best knocks and preparations in a candid chat.
Hazlewood makes the cut as Australia confirm WTC final squad
Spurred by Chirag Jani's a five-wicket haul, defending champions Saurashtra scripted their first knockout win of the season with a 238-run thrashing of Vidarbha on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match in Nagpur on Sunday.
Images from Day 4 in the second Test between England and India, at Lord's, on Sunday.
The final will be played at the Oval from June 7-11.
The third day of the first Test ended with India scoring 14 runs for the loss of one wicket taking the lead to 63 runs.
'Excellent setting for an intra-squad match simulation here in Southampton.'
India ended the third day of the third Test at Headingly at 215 for the loss of two wickets.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between Bangladesh and India, at Chattogram, on Wednesday.
India's batting megastars will be desperate to clear the cobwebs from their head in pursuit of a second successive World Test Championship final berth as they take on Australia in the series-deciding fourth Test in Ahmedabad from Thursday.
"If we would have ended the day at 4 or even 5 wickets, things would have been better. I still feel if we get 350 in the first innings, it will be a good score on this track as there is a turn (on offer) and we have three spinners.
Fascinating glimpses from Day 5 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia.
Ishan Kishan earned his maiden Test call-up, while Suryakumar Yadav was also included for the first two Tests of the four-match series against Australia next month.
West Zone will boast of a power-packed batting line-up in Cheteshwar Pujara, Prithvi Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav and Sarfaraz Khan for the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone.
India ended Day 3 at The Oval at 270 for the loss of three wickets.
Pujara's strike-rate has been a constant subject of debate for sometime now
Cheteshwar Pujara's innings is the highest by a subcontinent batsman and third highest by any visiting batsman on the opening day of a Test in Australia, reveals Rajneesh Gupta.
India dropped both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara from the side following the South Africa tour but brought them back rather than grooming youngsters? Rahane scored the bulk of the runs for India in the WTC final but was going back to him and Pujara the right call?
This is India's second appearance in the WTC final after losing the inaugural game in 2021 to New Zealand.
Stand-in captain Smith savours rare Australian win in India
Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer combined in a rollicking 159-run partnership to help India wrest back control of the second Test against Bangladesh.
Rest of India remained firm favourites to win the Irani Cup match in Rajkot
Rohit Sharma reportedly delayed his departure for the UK for personal reasons.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
India's charismatic middle-order batter in T20 cricket Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut along with wicketkeeper K S Bharat.
On Sunday, Sussex batted first on a small county ground at Hove, and were 9/2 inside first four overs when Tom Clark (104 off 106 balls) and Pujara joined forces to add 205 runs for the third wicket.
IMAGES from day 3 of the 1st Test between Bangladesh and India played in Chottogram on Friday.
Pujara was dismissed in the 24th over on day two of the division two game against Derbyshire
Shreyas Iyer sparkled with a half-century on debut, while Ravindra Jadeja also hit an unbeaten fifty to keep New Zealand at bay on Day 1 of the first Test in Kanpur on Thursday.
'Shane Warne is sick. He was an incredible cricketer but his lack of sensitivity & ignorance on a lot of occasions is baffling.'
'The man who led India to its greatest ever overseas Test series win. Happy Birthday @ajinkyarahane88.' 'May God give you the strength to fight every challenge.'
Hazlewood, who is nursing a tendon injury which sidelined him during the Test series against India, added that Pujara is someone Australians "love to hate".
Iyer smashed 530 runs at an average of 66.25 in 11 innings and a strike rate of over 113. He scored two centuries and three fifties, with the best score of 128*. He ended up as the seventh-highest run-scorer in his debut tournament.
'Once he failed in the Australia series at home, there was very little chance for him but selectors didn't want to change things ahead of WTC final.'
