Australia completed a six-wicket victory within two days in the first Test against South Africa on Sunday as the Proteas crumbled on a green Gabba wicket that played straight into the home bowlers' hands.
England paceman James Anderson will be rested for the first Ashes Test against Australia but he is fit to play, wicketkeeper Jos Buttler said.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has attained a career-best second position after notching two half-centuries in the final Test series against England in Karachi.
History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar said the Test series triumph in Australia last year ranks among the team's 'greatest wins' of all time and can be considered a golden chapter in the country's cricket history.
Notwithstanding the 2-0 scoreline in favour of the home team, former Australian all-rounder Michael Bevan feels Indians have a good chance to bounce back in Melbourne in the third cricket Test, starting Friday.
The Australian team management chose Peter Handscomb ahead of Travis Head
- 'The aggressive approach was the right one. The approach will remain the same' - 'I feel what he (Kohli) did throughout the Adelaide Test was really great'
Australia captain Pat Cummins lavished praise on Mitchell Starc as the rangy left-arm paceman joined the 300 wickets club in style on Sunday during the first Test win over South Africa.
'We are looking at them every single day. We are comfortable with the protocols with what they are for SA (South Australia).' The only limit on Australia's players in Adelaide are that they head out in public in small groups.
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
'We ended up getting a result in four days is a testimony to the fact that we have become the side we have become today and strength of the squad was on full display.'
'We just let them off the hook there and probably didn't build pressure the way we wanted to.'
Former captain Michael Vaughan feels Australia looked jaded in the recent home Test series against the West Indies and said England stand a great chance in next year's Ashes if a "Dad's Army" is fielded by their arch-rivals.
Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid have enough options to choose from with selectors adding three players to the squad -- Sarfaraz Khan, Sourabh Kumar and Washington Sundar.
While the venue has not been finalised yet, the pink ball game is likely to be held either in Adelaide or Perth. Hosting the game in one of these venues makes sense given the better time slot for the Indian broadcast audience.
'They came out with an attitude that they had nothing to lose.' 'That's what stands out about this team.'
In the first Test, while will be a day-night contest in Adelaide, 50 per cent of the total capacity of the crowd will be allowed to enter the stadium.
Sundar was left stranded on 96 as India got dismissed for 365 in their first innings on the third day of the Test match
Images from Day 5 of the fourth Test between Australia and India, at the Gabba, on Tuesday.
Pacer Thangarasu Natarajan is the first Indian cricketer to make his international debut across all three formats during the same tour.
'The key for India winning this series will be the batsmen around Kohli.'
The injury-ravaged Indian team was dealt another blow on Tuesday as pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the fourth and final Test against Australia, starting on Friday, due to an abdominal strain.
CA confirmed media reports that Cummins was dining at an Adelaide restaurant on Wednesday night where a positive COVID-19 case was identified.
A rejuvenated Mitchell Johnson needs only one victim to become Australia's third-highest Test wicket-taker but will hope for a bigger haul at his home ground in Perth, where New Zealand will be fighting to keep the three-match series alive.
Australia are 1-0 up in the series after an emphatic nine-wicket victory at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Following is a factbox on the first Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Thursday:
Unbeaten in seven Test series since 2013, New Zealand are widely viewed to have their best chance in a good while to secure a second series victory on Australian soil to go with the Richard Hadlee-inspired 1985 triumph.
With day-night Tests seen as a possible solution to Test cricket's dwindling attendances, Australia are hopeful that India will agree to play one at the Gabba this year.
'There is the World Test Championship final, which we are aiming at, so we need to win a few games to achieve it.'
'I like it when opposition guys try to attack me and try to whack me out of the attack.'
Ravi Shastri believes Mumbai's cricketers have a headstart compared to players from other domestic teams in India.
Cricket Australia still in the dark over Australia vs India day-night Test
Australia completed victory at the Gabba in two days, batting marginally better than the Proteas on a perilous, grassy pitch that South Africa captain Dean Elgar complained was unfair to the batters. T
Mitchell Starc's first ball of the match was as good as Steve Harmison's was poor, a full yorker which went behind the legs of hapless England opener Rory Burns and swung into the base of his stumps
Former pacer Ashish Nehra said India should include senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, ranked No 2 in the world, in place of a fast bowler for the fourth Test against England, starting at The Oval in London on Thursday.
Statistical highlights on the opening day of the second Test between India and Australia in Brisbane.
Former opener Gautam Gambhir believes the Indian team management needs to take good care of its pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and if required, the fast bowler should be given a break during the upcoming home series against England.
Factbox on the second Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Saturday:
