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MELBOURNE :India suffered a disastrous run-out and Scott Boland took two wickets to leave the tourists in trouble at 164 for five on day two of the fourth test on Friday, after another Steve Smith century helped Australia post an imposing 474.
MELBOURNE :Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth test against India on a scorching day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Ahead of the fourth Test against India at Melbourne, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch looks "nice and firm" with a "bit of grass coverage" and it could help spinner Nathan Lyon as well. With the series level at 1-1, both sides will be playing the much-anticipated Boxing Day Test with an aim to secure an all-important series lead needed to push a case for the ICC World Test Championship final. Speaking ahead of the game in a pre-match presser, Cummins said about the pitch, "Pitch looks really good, quite consistent to what it has here for the last few years, I think, you know, a bit of grass coverage, feels nice and firm, so they (curators) have done a great job here for, you know, probably the last five, six years, their pitches and I suspect the same this year."
India are likely to ring a few changes when they take on Australia in the Boxing Day Test, starting December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Reports have claimed that India captain Rohit Sharma will open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, while KL Rahul will drop a slot down to no. 3. India could possibly line-up with two spinners -- Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja -- with either Shubman Gill or Nitish Kumar Reddy likely to face the axe. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep will keep their place in the pace bowling department.
Australian cricket might have dominated ICC events, winning the most trophies, but Indian cricket is arguably considered the breadwinner for the sport. Over the last two decades, Indian cricket has grown leaps and bounds, challenging the Aussies and other top nations on every front. The Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) has played a big role in Indian cricket's rise. In the form of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the BCCI has also given the cricket world a top franchise-based T20 league. Hence, even when Australian cricketers were asked about their views on the India board, they only had good things to say.
Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, saying he has been "a bit of a thorn" for their side in some of the memorable contests Down Under. Ashwin, India's premier off-spinner, on Wednesday surprised the cricketing world by announcing his retirement in the middle of the Test series against Australia. He retired from the game as the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests with 537 scalps from 106 matches, placing him only behind the legendary Anil Kumble (619 wickets).
Skipper Pat Cummins and top Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon on Wednesday presented a signed Australian Jersey to Ravichandran Ashwin as he bid adieu to cricket. It took many by surprise when Ashwin walked out with India captain Rohit Sharma to announce his international retirement. The signs were there for the fans to see when a camera caught Ashwin and Virat Kohli sharing a heartfelt moment on the last day of the Test. Ashwin was visibly emotional and Kohli embraced his friend, which made it clear that a big announcement was on the cards once the Test match ended.
Legendary Indian cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar made a massive claim that Rohit Sharma will likely step down from captaincy if his bad run of form continues. It has been a disappointing run for Rohit in the past few matches and it has led to criticism from both fans as well as experts. The move to push himself down to No. 6 in the batting order did not work as well as he failed to score big in the last two Test matches against Australia. Gavaskar, while speaking to ABC Sport, believed that Rohit will not wait for the selection committee to take any decision on his captaincy and will step down if his form does not improve in the next couple of matches in the five-match series to be held in Melbourne and Sydney.