Keeping with tradition at the good old WACA, a raging quick wicket has been laid for this inaugural five-day game. It has a healthy layering of grass which could impact strategies for both sides.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
The WACA curator Cam Sutherland described the images of people walking and drinking on the Test pitch last night as "unfortunate" but insisted he and his staff were only inspecting the "aesthetics" of the wicket before Friday's third Test match.
Perth's WACA ground will not host a match in Australia's summer of cricket for the first time since 1976-77, with the four Tests against India in 2014-15 to be played in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.
'Please don't ask questions on what kind of runs are expected from the track.'
Anderson's performance, his first five-wicket haul in Australia, turned out be in vain in the end, though, as the hosts steadily chipped away at England on the fourth day when they were chasing 354 for victory.
'There will be a lot of spice to the contest -- there is a reason India is the only team other than England against whom Australia is keen to play a five Test series.' 'I'll watch, as I suspect most fans will -- but this one time, I'll watch with considerable trepidation and, from a fan's point of view, with the hope that the team finds its feet and that right quick,' notes the distinguished cricket commentator Prem Panicker.
It was touted as a pacer's paradise but a slow WACA has left both the Indian and Australian teams a bit surprised and the two sides say the one-time 'fastest track in the world' is now aiding spinners more than the quickies.
Chess icon Viswanathan Anand feels the current crop of Indian players, that he has had a role in shaping, has turned out to be "great" in grabbing crucial opportunities.
India 'A' will play two first-class matches against Australia 'A' in the run-up to the marquee Border Gavaskar Trophy later this year, CA announced on Tuesday.
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
Dismissing the outrage in the Indian media after ground staff were captured on camera sitting and drinking on the pitch, WACA chief executive Graeme Wood clarified it was customary for the groundsmen to have a drink on eve of a Test match to celebrate their hard work.
India face an ominous task to win the third Test on a fast and bouncy wicket in Perth and keep the four-match series alive which they are presently trailing 0-2.
Richards could mentor the team in the World Cup a role fulfilled by former Australian opener, Matthew Hayden in the last two T20 World Cups in 2021 and 2022 where Pakistan reached the semi-final and final.
Struggling Indian batsmen are in for a tough challenge during the Perth Test as the WACA pitch is expected to be significantly quicker this time around.
Kiwi Ross Taylor's mammoth 290 in the WACA Test against Australia, propelled him to the top-10 list
Ishant Sharma is looking forward to prove his worth on Perth's WACA pitch but is not sure what length to bowl on the track renowned as the fastest in the world.
The series is likely to start in late November this year.
Australian off-spinner Nathan Hauritz says he will use the 'Doosra' during the third Test against the West Indies, and is confident about bouncing back in Perth after putting in a lacklustre performance in Adelaide last week.
He however admitted that that his batsmen could have done better on the bouncy track.
Images from Day 5 of the 3rd Ashes Test played at the WACA in Perth on Monday
Curator Cameron Sutherland says the hot conditions prevailing in Perth have taken some sting out of the "green" WACA surface, but the pitch will still suit fast bowlers in the third Test between India and Australia, beginning Friday.
Picking up where he left off in the first Test in Brisbane, the opener scored 244 not out for his third century in three innings as the hosts dominated New Zealand's bowlers as ruthlessly as they had in the 208-run victory at the Gabba.
Australia dismissed South Africa for 225 despite another dogged rearguard action from Faf du Plessis before moving shakily to 33-2 at the close of play on a thrilling first day of the third Test at the WACA on Friday.
India's struggling batsmen should brace up for a very tough battle if Australia decide to field an all-out pace attack on the dreaded WACA track during the third Test in Briabane, feels former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood.
Australia captain Michael Clarke exuded confidence on his fast bowlers, saying whether there is a four-pronged pace attack or not, it is good enough to take the wickets in the third Test against India, at the WACA in Perth, beginning Friday.
England's Stuart Broad was taken to hospital for a scan on an injured foot during the third day of the third Ashes Test on Sunday in a further blow to the struggling tourists.
Steve Smith and Adam Voges scored the fifth and sixth centuries of the second Test to give Australia a lead of 193 after Ross Taylor's epic 290 brought New Zealand back into the contest on day four on Monday.
The triumph entitles Gukesh a clash against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China in the last quarter of the year.
Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey sparkled with half-centuries but rest of India's batsmen put up a lackluster performance before the bowlers came good to hand the team a 64-run win over a second string Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-day cricket match at the WACA, in Perth, on Saturday.
Gukesh aims to keep improving after becoming India No 1 without sponsorship support
The India vice-captain, who didn't play in the match, obliged fans at the WACA in Perth by clicking selfies with them and signing autographs.
Looking to exploit the fast and bouncy conditions at the WACA, Australian opener Aaron Finch has said his team would look to corner the Indians early on in the opening ODI on January 12.
Bowlers performed brilliantly to calm down some talks about the side's recent issues with the ball.
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
What happens when Rohit Sharma asked an 11 year old to bowl to him in the nets?
The 31-year-old also led Australia to a Commonwealth Games gold medal last year and is the country's leading run getter across formats
Australia reclaimed the Ashes by dismissing England's last five batsmen after lunch on Tuesday for a 150-run victory in the third Test to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Tightening Initial Public Offering (IPO) norms, capital markets regulator Sebi on Friday cleared the proposal mandating the issuers to disclose the offer price based on past transactions and fund raising activities. In addition, the board of Sebi approved a proposal introducing an alternative mechanism by permitting "pre-filing" of offer documents for companies contemplating IPOs. Under this, an issuer should make "pre-filing" of offer documents with Sebi and stock exchanges without making it available to the public for an initial scrutiny period only.
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