Dinesh Chandimal smashed a maiden double hundred and Prabath Jayasuriya claimed 12 wickets in a dream debut to script Sri Lanka's series-levelling victory by an innings and 39 runs in the second Test against Australia in Galle on Monday.
Ahead of the WTC Final next month, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting opened up on India and Australia's chances for the big game.
In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
'...according to me Australia should have gone to India earlier. The preparation was not up to the mark at all. If you couldn't go to India, you should have gone to the UAE at least to prepare for a tour like this.'
Australia batting mainstay Steve Smith says he was looking to put Ravichandran Ashwin under pressure while batting on the opening day of the third Test in Sydney.
The DRS system needs to be thoroughly looked into by the @ICC, especially for the 'Umpires Call'," Tendulkar tweeted on Monday.
Ashwin picked Smith's wicket in the first session of the Boxing Day Test on Saturday for a duck.
Australia, who won the toss and batted in the day-nighter, reached 248 for four at stumps with Labuschagne 110 not out and Travis Head unbeaten on 20.
The spinner could not justify his selection and leaked 95 from his 11 overs for the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne.
Kohli gained two points for his half-century to get to 888 while Smith (911) lost 10 points in the table after scoring 1 and 1 in his two innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara is set to play his 100th Test match when India take on Australia for the 2nd Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Hardik Pandya's leadership skills and India's overall World Cup preparedness will be under focus
Ishan Kishan has made a massive jump to enter the top 10 among T20 batters.
The Aaron Finch-led Australia side has moved to the top of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League points table following their 2-1 ODI series victory over India.
Steve Smith has revealed that he suffered a 'bad dose of vertigo' ahead of the second One-dayer against India
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.
With Kane Williamson likely to miss the Test, New Zealand will have a lot of work to do in the 3rd Test in Sydney.
Azhar Ali hit his fourth Test ton against Australia as Pakistan piled on 476-4 before declaring
Team India possess a much more balanced squad in the shortest format.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne missed individual centuries but forged Australia's highest partnership of the summer to earn the hosts a handy first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day two of the series opening day-night Test on Friday.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah found his mojo as India got back to winning ways with a morale-lifting 13-run triumph over Australia in the third and final ODI in Canberra on Wednesday, salvaging some of the lost pride in a 1-2 series defeat.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
Pakistani bowlers failed to put pressure on the hosts and failed to pick wickets.
IMAGES from the 1st Test played between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne on Thursday
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was critical of Pujara's strike rate during the third Test in Sydney but the Test specialist was unmoved.
Nathan Lyon captured a long-awaited 400th Test wicket and spun Australia to the brink of a comprehensive victory in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday as England lost eight wickets in a stunning morning collapse on Day 4.
Images from the opening day of the second Test between Australia and Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
After left-armer Afridi's two early wickets, Australia could have been in even deeper trouble but Pakistan failed to capitalise on chances offered by Khawaja and Smith.
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja could do with a break, which will allow India to try out new players in the Caribbean.
'In terms of a great first year, it was an amazing summer and hopefully, I can better that this time... Hopefully, against a side like India, testing yourself against one of the best bowling attacks in world cricket at the moment'
'We tried to be positive and play our shots. The team needed this knock, so I tried to bat for as long as I could.'
Babar Azam's glorious unbeaten 102 kept Pakistan alive but Australia remained on course for victory in the second Test in Karachi on Tuesday.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes was named the 'Leading Cricketer in the World' in the 2020 edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, the publication said on Wednesday. The 28-year-old played a leading role in England's 50-over World Cup victory at home last year while his brilliant unbeaten knock of 135 helped the side to a thrilling one-wicket win over Australia in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.
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.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Kohli is the leading Indian batsman in the chart with 886 rating points behind Australia's Steve Smith (911 points).
Matthew Wade's defiant century proved in vain as England bowled Australia out for 263 to win the final Test at The Oval by 135 runs on Sunday and ensure the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
'It hasn't been easy for the batters throughout the series'
Australia coach Justin Langer has urged the struggling batsmen in his team to step up and deliver when the fifth and final Ashes Test against England starts at The Oval on Thursday.
Pujara scored an unbeaten 130 as India finished day one at 303 for four.
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