The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
Smith took to social media to announce he would be making a return to the IP
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
'He should be blooded into the senior team immediately, like Sachin was all those years ago.'
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
Australia's senior batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's after suffering a compound dislocation of his right pinkie on Friday.
Showing an insatiable hunger to learn and succeed, Shubman Gill turned to senior players and former greats for insights, embodying the ethos of a student of the game.
He also admitted to learning a lot from 'one of the best players in the world', his teammate Steve Smith.
The duo is followed by a former Sri Lanka icon, Mahela Jayawardene, with 205 outfield catches in 149 appearances.
Smith dislocated his right little finger in last month's World Test Championship final and will be required to wear a splint for five weeks, Cricket Australia said.
Shubman Gill's unbeaten 129 in Delhi wasn't just another century; it was history etched in numbers and intent.
Steve Smith will miss Australia's first Test against the West Indies in Barbados later this month
'As a captain it makes my life a lot easier knowing you've got lots of settled players there.'
Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred on Friday to go past the tally of former India skipper Rahul Dravid and contemporary Steve Smith.
Giving the 'social challenge' a new twist, the International Cricket Council called Australian batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne a duplicate of his team-mate Steve Smith. ICC used three different photos of Steve Smith indicating different profile pictures for Linkedin, Facebook, and Instagram. However, they replaced his Twitter picture with a duplicate account and used Labuschagne's photo to denote it, terming it as 'duplicate account'.
Steve Smith has once again proved why he's Australia's go-to man in crunch matches-by eclipsing none other than Sachin Tendulkar in a major ICC knockout record.
After becoming the first batter to score a century in the WTC Final, Travis Head said he enjoyed batting with Steve Smith.
Cheteshwar Pujara will get a chance to sneak peek into Steve Smith's preparations ahead of the high-profile World Test Championship final, starting June 7, as the former Australian skipper gears up to play three English county games for Sussex this month.
With nine Test centuries against India at home, Joe Root set a new record for the most by any batter against a single opponent in home Tests.
Nicholas Pooran, who announced his retirement from all international formats on Tuesday, has been appointed as the captain of MI New York in the Major League Cricket
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
Australian batters have been focussed on tackling the spin threat
'There's no way in the world he was trying to change Rishabh Pant's guard.'
Australia hope to unlock Steve Smith's potential in Twenty20 cricket ahead of this year's World Cup
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
Mitch Owen has been rewarded for his fine form in his first five Twenty20 internationals by being named in both of Australia's squads for short-format series against South Africa in the far north of the country next month.
Root reached the milestone during his 69th WTC appearance - a single pushed to deep backward square leg brought up yet another half-century and sealed his place in the record books.
'I feel like as long as I prepare as well as possible, I tick all the boxes ... and then just let my reactions do the talking. Just try and keep it simple, see ball hit ball.'
Smith had a base price of Rs 2 crore heading into the auction and RCB made the starting bid for him, but in the end, Smith was picked up by Delhi Capitals
Gillespie said that he feels that either one of Labuschagne or Usman Khawaja, the 38-year-old who failed to touch double-digits in both WTC final innings, will miss out on West Indies tour, which comprises three Tests, starting June 25.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
India made 3,809 runs in this series, which is the most ever scored by a team in a five Test series.
Batting under lights on a lively track, Australia then suffered a collapse of their own and finished day two on 99-6 for an overall lead of 181 as they look to complete a series sweep.
'It does look like quite a dry surface and I think the footmarks will definitely come into play as the game wears on.'
Joe Root is the leading run-scorer at Lord's across all international formats, amassing 2,526 runs in 33 matches at the Home of Cricket.
Former Australia bowling ace Glenn McGrath says it will be tougher to bowl to Steve Smith once he gets a start.
'I wouldn't bowl to him (Gill) in England, that's for sure.'
Smith said he did not regard his injury as a major issue.
India are welcome to subject Steve Smith to a bouncer barrage but the batsman is well-equipped to succeed
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