'Steve Smith, according to me, is the best Test player of this generation. He has displayed that his adaptability is absolutely brilliant. You take any cricketer of this generation... in 85-90 Tests, he has an average of 60 which is quite unbelievable.'
'I would have picked Ashwin for his batting, let alone his bowling. That is why I can't believe he isn't playing because he has got five Test centuries as well. It is very strange.'
England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.
Mitchell Marsh is expected to lead in Cummins's absence. The all-rounder is also in contention to be named Australia's T20 skipper.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
IMAGES from Day 2 of the WTC Final played between Australia and India at The Oval in London on Thursday.
Australia retained the Ashes after the fourth Test at Old Trafford was drawn on Sunday with no play possible on day five due to rain, leaving England trailing 2-1 in the series with one match to play.
Cummins, who fractured his wrist during the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval (July 27-31), has been advised rest for six weeks.
Ajinkya Rahane is savoring a cherishing quality time with wife Radhika and their children, three-year-old daughter Aarya and son Raghav.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shardul Thakur led India's spirited fightback, but Australia were sitting in control after stretching their lead to 296 runs at stumps on Day 3.
The fifth Test could be David Warner's final outing, says McGrath
Karun Nair on Wednesday served a reminder to his prowess with an unbeaten 144 for Northamptonshire against table-toppers Surrey in a County Championship Division One contest, in London at the Oval.
Pat Cummins' side stayed in control at the end of Day 2 of the WTC Final.
Australian batter Steve Smith on Thursday said his bowlers reaped the benefits of relentlessly targeting the off stump.
England must win the fourth Test in Manchester to keep the series alive ahead of the fifth Test at the Oval in London.
India face Australia in the WTC final at The Oval in London on Wednesday, June 7.
Australia's captain Pat Cummins also dismissed the "completely made up" suggestion that Warner and Smith would walk away at the Oval and said they were focused on the task at hand.
Steve Smith reached his maiden Test century with a six as Australia, trailing 3-0 in the series, took control of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at the Oval on Thursday.
The Indian team's kit sponsor Adidas revealed the Test match jersey that Rohit Sharma and Co will don at the WTC final against Australia next week.
India all-rounder Shardul Thakur said the WTC final is a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity.
Although the credit for acquiring the technological skill must be given to India's outstanding nuclear scientists, the decision to go nuclear was a political one that entailed clarity of vision, courage and resolve, points out Rup Narayan Das.
The Australian team on paper holds slight advantage on a bouncy track at The Oval but both Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting believe that the Indians are better prepared.
Karun Nair is only the second Indian to score a triple hundred in Test cricket.
In 10 days from now, Gill and Sharma will open the Indian innings in the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in London.
India opted to bring in Rajat Patidar as Kohli's replacement.
Athiya Shetty and husband K L Rahul enjoyed a day out in London as the Lucknow Super Giants skipper recovers from surgery for a thigh injury.
The WTC winners will collect US$1.6 million as the prize money, while the losing finalists will pocket $800,000.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri has backed K L Rahul to seal his place as a wicketkeeper-batter for the World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June.
Chief Selector Wahab Riaz held a press conference to formally announce the immediate withdrawal of Butt's name from the consultancy panel.
Ponting called for an investigation into the ball change and now the owner of Dukes' ball is set to launch an internal probe into the row.
Butt was suspended for five years for his role in spot-fixing during the Pakistan and England Test match in August, 2010.
Vettori also expects Cameron Green to play a big part in the WTC final, especially after his superb showing in the just-concluded IPL.
After Australia thrashed India by 209 runs to win the World Test Championship final at The Oval in London on Sunday, June 11, 2023, the Aussies celebrated with their families.
He is the third sportsperson with the most followers on Instagram behind footballing greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
India made the blunder of reading the conditions wrong during the last WTC final in 2021 and shouldn't repeat the mistake this time as they eye their maiden ICC title in 10 years.
'A year ago, if you told me we were coming here I would have been very confident, they were struggling a fair bit, the batting looked like they weren't really sure how to go about it.'
The India captain believes that there is no substitute for hard grind on English tracks.
Franchise is the future but Australia rule the here and now
Stuart Broad finished on a high as he claimed the final two Australian wickets to bowl England to a series-levelling 49-run victory in the final Ashes Test.
For Pat Cummins's side, the addition of Flower to the coaching staff will only add more to the expectations as they strive to become the first Australian team to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.
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