Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
Pakistan's T20 captain, Salman Ali Agha, is considering taking a break from the format to concentrate on the upcoming ODI World Cup and the ICC World Test Championship cycle.
India will look to reprise their home template of big first-innings totals and sustained spin in the short two-Test series against South Africa beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted players from the Australian and England cricket teams ahead of the final Ashes Test at Kirribilli House for his annual New Year's Day reception on Thursday.
Sri Lanka will arrive in South Africa on Saturday, with the first Test in Pretoria starting on Boxing Day. The second will be in Johannesburg from January 3.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram said their Test victory over hosts Pakistan in difficult conditions was a major confidence boost for the tourists, who will be heading to India next and expect an even sterner test.
A Baggy Green cap worn by Don Bradman during Australia's 1947-48 series against India was auctioned for a record $460,000 and will be displayed at an Australian museum.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma downplayed Shukri Conrad's controversial remarks that he wanted India to "really grovel".
The first Test will start on Thursday, with the second scheduled for May 7-11 at the same venue.
Kevin Pietersen has encouraged England batter Jacob Bethell to remain in India and continue his IPL journey, countering Alastair Cook's suggestion that he should return to county cricket.
Bradman wore that cap during the 1947/48 series against the first Indian team to tour Australia. The series saw Bradman amassing 715 runs from six innings.
Jason, who also served as Pakistan's head coach in 2024 from April to December, was interacting with his followers on X handle.
'We could play a couple of all-rounders. Could play a spinner. Could play no spinner. We'll figure it out.'
A record-extending 52nd ODI century by Virat Kohli and a rapid 57 from Rohit Sharma paved the way for India's victory in the series-opener in Ranchi.
Asked about it at a media interaction in Dubai, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar clarified: 'He is injured.'
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
China has confirmed providing on-site technical support to Pakistan during last year's conflict with India, according to official media reports.
The Punjab Cabinet has approved a series of measures aimed at enhancing public safety through forensic science upgrades and boosting rural incomes with a new farm stay policy.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel says managing the workload of fast bowlers in a five-Test series can be an issue right after an IPL season.
The Indian senior women's hockey team will tour Argentina for a four-match series in Buenos Aires, offering crucial preparation for the FIH Hockey World Cup and Asian Games later this year.
The Aussies also named a 14-player group for the first two T20I matches against India, with Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis earning recalls after they missed the recent T20I series with South Africa.
Jofra Archer could return for second Test against India: England national selector Wright
FC Goa defeated NorthEast United FC 2-0 in an Indian Super League match, with goals from Dejan Drazic and Mohammed Yasir. The win moved FC Goa to second place in the league standings.
England's Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second Test in Brisbane on Thursday despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Considering Hardika Pandya's heavy recent workload, the decision was made to negate any possibility of a major injury concern, the BCCI said on Friday.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe made history by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under two hours at the London Marathon.
'We are fully focused on this series. Every series is important. Individually for these players, there's a lot at stake.'
Cameron Green has also been in focus during his stint with IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders, with Cricket Australia managing his workload due to a lower back injury.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh said the selectors were right in appointing Shubman Gill as India's ODI captain last year, stating that the youngster is ready for "big challenges".
Harry Brook disagreed with India coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to name him as Player of the Series, saying the honour should have gone to Joe Root
This will be the maiden Test in Guwahati, which often hosts white-ball matches, and has also been hosting IPL matches for the last two seasons.
The Australians will reach Lahore on January 28 for the short series.
A statement from the ECB said the injured pace bowler is ruled out of the current Test series and unlikely to play in the ODIS series that follows.
Indian karting prodigy Atiqa Mir achieves a significant milestone, becoming the highest-ranked female racer in her category in the latest FIA International Kart Ranking (IKR).
Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill, has lauded Ravindra Jadeja's performance, stating that the world's No 1 Test all-rounder has been instrumental in getting India out of difficult situations over the past couple of years.
'Shubman Gill returned to training on Monday as Punjab prepare to face Goa in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the KL Saini Stadium.
Anukul Roy, the Jharkhand all-rounder, has become a key player for Kolkata Knight Riders with his disciplined left-arm spin. He now seeks a more significant role with the bat, aiming to contribute more in the middle order and replicate his domestic success in the T20 league.
Sarfaraz Khan stroked a brilliant 227 from 219 balls, during Day 2 of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy match against Hyderabad on Friday.
The first Test starts at Lord's on Wednesday.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg believes that the aggressive tone of the ongoing Test series between India and England will be a huge selling point for the match-day tickets of the upcoming Ashes.
