Former Australia wicketkeeper and captain Tim Paine doesn't regret sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the third Test of the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Those three wickets for six runs, in a manic final 15 minutes of the day's play, undid all the good work that had gone before, asserts Prem Panicker.
Uncapped McSweeney to open with Khawaja in India series
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
The Indian batters' inability to grind it out against a relentless Australian pace attack in testing conditions left the team precariously placed at 51/4 at the end of a rain-marred day three.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon termed Indian players as superstars' while hoping to revive his on-field rivalry with India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Two teams with fault lines in their batting, up against two of the best bowling sides in the game today -- the question that determines the outcome is, is your weakness greater than mine?
Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 212 but endured a top order wobble of their own before reaching 98/3 in reply after a frenetic, spin-dominated day one of the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday.
'His capacity for hard work, relentless application and focus, allied to his God-given gifts, has made him a champion every Indian can be proud of.'
Gavaskar, a revered opener during his playing days, said the 22-year-old Jaiswal has "the cricketing world at his feet".
As the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy approaches and both teams stacked with talent, fans can expect a fiercely competitive series Down Under.
Lazio, who had won all four previous games, were held to a frustrating scoreless draw by a Bulgarian side who came to defend.
Ravichandran Ashwin has the second most wickets by an active player in Test cricket. Australia's Nathan Lyon leads the list with 530 wickets and Ashwin can overtake him in the second Test in Kanpur.
Adelaide Oval's head curator Damian Hough has also promised a 6mm grass cover to ensure that the pink ball doesn't wear out early during the day-night Test, starting on Friday.
With the series locked at 1-1, Brisbane could well decide the course of the rubber and whether Rohit's men would continue to be the master of their fate in the ongoing World Test Championship.
The youngsters in the side couldn't have got a better mentor than 'King' Kohli himself to guide them with his words of wisdom.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
Back-to-back Test series wins over Australia are almost unheard of but India have won the last four they have played.
The biggest positives with the bat in Perth were Virat Kohli regaining his rhythm and Jaiswal's coming of age hundred in his debut Test in Australia. Both will look to build on those significant gains in Adelaide.
Australia's capitulation in Perth triggered damning assessments of the team's performance in home media.
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Ace Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says he and India's Ravichandran Ashwin are similar yet different type of bowlers, so comparisons should not be made between the two.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the third Test against Australia in Brisbane?
Despite the recent injury setbacks, senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the current Australian team is the 'tightest group' that he has been a part of and is certainly in a much better space than what it was two years back, when India triumphed 1-2 in Tests.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
The Australian off-spinner claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests against India to equal the record of taking five wickets or more in an innings against India with Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan
'I think it's more about trying to challenge both edges of the bat'
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne described wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as the most "amusing" player in the Indian team, ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series between the fierce rivals.
Eoin Morgan said the current Indian team ranks as "one of the greatest in their own conditions".
Ravichandran Ashwin became the first bowler to pick 50 or wickets in each of three World Test Championship cycles.
Washington lifted the gloom with a couple of unplayable deliveries that castled Ravindra and Tom Blundell (3) in a 10-minute spell before tea.
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Indian batting stalwart Virat Kohli and Australia's Steve Smith would be more than keen to stamp their authority in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series in which runs would be "at a premium", feels Australian great Matthew Hayden.
Spinner Nathan Lyon will be pinching himself when he dons the baggy green cap of Australia and joins the 100-Test club for the fourth and final match against India at the Gabba on Friday.
'...there'll be nerves and a bit of pressure, but that's all part of it, and I'm just excited to see what it all brings.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide?
Ben Stokes is notably absent from the list of 1,574 players who have registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction, scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Rohit has joined an upbeat Indian team for the last two matches and Lyon is aware of the threat the batsman can pose with his wide range of strokes.
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
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