Tag: australia

DUBAI: India batter Virat Kohli has been penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his on-field altercation with young Australia batter Sam Konstas during the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Indian veteran made forceful contact with the 19-year-old debutant, who kicked off his international career in style, at the conclusion of the 10th over.

As the over came to a close, Kohli, clearly displaying his frustration, strode past Konstas and intentionally collided with him shoulder to shoulder, which was followed by a heated exchange of words between the two players.

Usman Khawaja, Konstas’ fellow opener, and umpire Michael Gough quickly stepped in to defuse the tension and restore order on the field.

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The incident was categorized as a violation of the ICC Code of Conduct, leading to Virat Kohli being fined 20% of his match fee and receiving a demerit point for his conduct during the match.

Sam Konstas, undeterred by the incident, belted Indian bowlers around the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on his way to a blistering 60 off 65 balls.

During the post-match news conference, Konstas played down the incident, calling it a part of the game.

“I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. But that’s just cricket, the tension,” said the teenager, Australia’s youngest-ever opener.

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India captain Rohit Sharma has discussed the possibility of calling up pace bowler Mohammed Shami for the remaining two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.

Shami was not selected for the tour of Australia because of an ankle surgery that sidelined him for nearly a year.

He underwent the surgery in February and was on track to return to the national team. However, he aggravated a knee issue during his rehabilitation, which further delayed his comeback.

The right-handed pacer achieved match fitness last month and returned to action for his domestic team Bengal, under the monitoring of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

During the post-match press conference after the drawn third Test, Rohit Sharma was asked if Shami could make a comeback in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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However, the Indian captain emphasized that the team management would consider Mohammed Shami only after receiving full assurance from the NCA.

“About Shami, I think it’s high time somebody from NCA talks about him, where he is rehabbing,” Rohit said. “Those guys are the ones who need to come up and give us some kind of update.”

“I understand he’s playing a lot of cricket back home, but there have been some complaints about his knee as well.

“So, look, the last thing you want is the player coming here and then pulling out in the middle of the game. You know what happens when that kind of thing happens.

“So, there is no way we want to take that chance unless we are like, not 100%, 200% sure, we’re not going to take any risk.

“But yeah, as I said in the last press conference, the door is open if those guys at the NCA feel that he is okay to go and recover and play, we’ll be happy to have him.”

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Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the rest of the Test series against India after injuring his right calf during his warm-up before play in Brisbane on Tuesday.

Hazlewood, who missed the second Test in Adelaide with a side strain, bowled just one over before leaving the field on the fourth day of the third Test at the Gabba.

With the series locked at 1-1 and the Test seemingly on course for a draw, the 33-year-old’s latest injury is a major blow to the hosts.

“Josh Hazlewood has sustained a right-sided calf strain which will prevent him from playing any further part in the Test match against India in Brisbane,” a Cricket Australia (CA) statement said.

“He sustained the injury during the warm-up this morning and after bowling one over was unable to continue.

“He is likely to miss the remainder of the Test series. A squad replacement will be made in due course.”

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Australia’s bowling coach Daniel Vettori said Hazlewood was despondent after suffering the injury.

“He felt it this morning in warm-ups and gave it a good crack,” Vettori said.

“It’s just unfortunate for him to come back, put so much effort in after another injury from the side strain in the last Test and to pick up a calf strain, particularly in these circumstances, was tough on him.

“He’s one of the best bowlers in the world and it obviously affects the whole team.”

The fourth Test begins in Melbourne on December 26 with the fifth and final Test in Sydney from January 3.

Vettori said that while he wasn’t a selector, the obvious choice to replace Josh Hazlewood in Melbourne was Scott Boland.

The 35-year-old Boland stepped in for Hazlewood in the pink-ball second Test, which Australia won by 10 wickets to level the series. Boland took five wickets in the match.

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Brisbane’s weather came to save India as most of Monday’s play was lost because of rain on the third day of the third Test of the Boder-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Gabba.

A rattled India limped to 51-4 at stumps on a day when Australia were only able to bowl 17 overs at the visitors and players left the field seven times due to downpours.

KL Rahul was on 33 at the end of a wet day along with skipper Rohit Sharma, who was yet to score.

Needing 245 to avoid the follow-on, India lost three early wickets in the first session, after earlier bowling Australia out for 445.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli all fell to Australia’s opening bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

They then lost Rishabh Pant just before tea, which was called early because of another downpour that then kept the players off the field for over two hours.

When they did return, bad light saw the Australians throw the ball to off-spinner Nathan Lyon and part-timer Travis Head.

But after only 2.5 overs, umpires Richard Kettleborough and Richard Illingworth decided that the light was not good enough and called an end to play.

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With most of the first day also lost to rain Saturday, Head and Steve Smith’s second-day centuries ensured that India could not realistically win the Test.

More rain is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, raising India’s hopes of salvaging a draw and heading to Melbourne with the series locked at 1-1.

Australia resumed the third day on 405-7 and were eventually bowled out for 445, wicketkeeper Alex Carey the last man out after an enterprising 70.

India’s first target was to avoid the follow-on and so raise their chances of holding out for a draw. But their reply got off to a terrible start when Jaiswal, who edged Starc’s first ball for four runs through gully, chipped the next ball straight to Mitchell Marsh at square leg.

Fellow opener Rahul got a nasty hit on the wrist from a Hazlewood ball that rose sharply off a good length, but after treatment, he was able to continue.

In Starc’s next over, Gill edged to gully and Marsh took a brilliant catch, diving high to his left to leave India in tatters at 6-2.

Kohli was next to go, caught behind by Carey after playing at a full ball from Hazlewood that he could have left alone but instead got a faint edge through to the wicketkeeper. To add insult to injury, as Kohli was walking off the rain started falling and early lunch was called.

There were more rain delays after lunch as Rahul and Pant tried to rescue the situation, but with the score on 44, Pant got a thin edge off Pat Cummins to Carey.

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BRISBANE: Rain played spoilsport as play was abandoned on the first day of the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India at the Gabba here on Saturday.

Australia finished the day on 28-0 with Usman Khawaja 19 not out and Nathan McSweeney on four after India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to field.

Only 13.2 overs were bowled during the first session and there was no further play, much to the disappointment of the big crowd that had filed into the Gabba.

At one stage the outfield resembled a lake but as the weather eased the water drained away quickly, leaving only a few small areas still affected.

However, the rain persisted throughout the day and the umpires eventually called off play midway through the final session.

Play will begin 30 minutes earlier for the remaining four days with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled each day. However, while the forecast is better for Sunday, there is more rain predicted early next week.

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After a week of downpours in Brisbane, Rohit would have expected plenty of movement from his opening bowlers, but they struggled to find their length. Jasprit Bumrah appeared down on pace early and Mohammed Siraj was equally unthreatening.

The forecasted rain first came 25 minutes into the day’s play, causing a half-hour delay, and when the players returned Akash Deep at last found the perfect length with movement in the air and off the wicket.

He troubled McSweeney in particular, but 35 minutes later much heavier rain sent the players from the field for the second time.

The five-match series is evenly poised with India thrashing Australia in the first Test in Perth and Australia recording an equally impressive victory in Adelaide.

The Australians, as expected, brought back Josh Hazlewood for Scott Boland after he recovered from a side strain.

India dropped spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and fast bowler Harshit Rana, replacing them with Ravindra Jadeja and Deep.

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ADELAIDE: Irrepressible Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc claimed his career-best bowling figures to bundle India for 180 on day one of the pink-ball Test of the Boder-Gavaskar Trophy here on Friday.

After India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss on an overcast day at Adelaide Oval, the visitors were dismissed on the cusp of tea.

The menacing Starc, who gave Australia a dream start by removing India opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal with the first ball of the match, took 6-48. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins both grabbed two each.

Six wickets went down in the second session, including Rohit for three and the flamboyant Rishabh Pant for 21.

Pant should have gone for five, but Nathan McSweeney spilled a sharp chance in the gully after the dangerous Boland, in the side for the injured Josh Hazlewood, drew an edge.

But the 35-year-old seamer got his reward four balls later, beating Rohit’s bat to trap him lbw.

A big innings was needed from Pant, but he was unable to deliver with a vicious climbing ball from Cummins bouncing off the shoulder of his bat and into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne.

Starc was brought back for another spell and was hostile once again, taking care of Ravichandran Ashwin (22) and Harshit Rana (0) in the space of four balls.

With India in trouble, Nitish Kumar Reddy decided to take charge, clobbering two big sixes in one Boland over to reach his highest Test score of 42 before he and Jasprit Bumrah fell to Starc and Cummins respectively.

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India came into the clash riding high after a 295-run victory at the first Test in Perth, but Australia have a formidable record in Adelaide, winning all seven pink-ball Tests they have played at the venue.

The visitors chose to retain Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers in preference to Rohit, who missed the first Test on paternity leave and came in at six.

But the plan backfired as Starc sensationally trapped Jaiswal lbw from a swinging first ball, with the left-armer’s pumped-up celebration showing how much it meant.

The returning Shubman Gill, who was absent from Perth with a thumb injury, then stroked two boundaries in an eventful first over.

But the runs dried up and Rahul was at the crease for 40 minutes without scoring when he was given out, caught behind off Boland.

Rahul was walking off, but a no-ball was called and he survived. Five balls later he had another life, dropped by Usman Khawaja at slip.

Undeterred, the pair battled on, before Starc wove his magic again to remove Rahul for 37 with McSweeney holding a catch low at gully.

Virat Kohli roared back to form in Perth with an unbeaten second-innings century but he was no match for Mitchell Starc this time, out for seven when Steve Smith collected a catch in the slips.

Gill was impressive in weathering the storm, but his luck ran out just before the first break when he fell lbw on 31 to the relentless Boland.

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Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli is on the verge of breaking a 76-year-old record of legendary Sir Don Bradman during the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Test series against Australia.

Kohli landed in Australia with the weight of his below-par form and a 16-month century drought.

However, he turned things around in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, displaying a masterclass in strokeplay to mark his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls in the second innings.

This was Kohli’s 30th Test century, which took him ahead of Bradman, who had 29 Test hundreds to his name, in the list of batters with the most centuries in the format.

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Notably, this was Kohli’s 10th century from 43 matches on Australian soil. This impressive feat placed him second on the list for the most international centuries scored by a visiting batter in a single country.

Kohli has scored seven Test centuries, alongside three centuries in ODI matches in Australia.

The record for the most centuries by a visiting batter in a single country is currently held by Don Bradman, who notched up 11 centuries in just 30 innings in England between 1930 and 1948.

With four matches remaining in the Border-Gavaskar series, Virat Kohli is standing on the brink of history, with the opportunity to surpass the remarkable record of Bradman.

Most Centuries by a Visiting Batter in a Single Country

• Don Bradman (Australia) – 11 centuries vs. England
• Virat Kohli (India) – 10 centuries vs. Australia
• Jack Hobbs (England) – 9 centuries vs. Australia
• Sachin Tendulkar (India) – 9 centuries vs. Sri Lanka
• Vivian Richards (West Indies) – 8 centuries vs. England
• Sunil Gavaskar (India) – 7 centuries vs. England

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Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood was on Saturday ruled out of the second Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Adelaide, with seamers Sean Abbott and Brendon Doggett added to their squad.

The right-armer, who took five wickets in Australia’s 295-run first Test defeat at Perth, has what Cricket Australia (CA) described as “a low-grade left side injury”.

“Josh Hazlewood will remain with the group in Adelaide to prepare for the remainder of the series,” CA added.

While the uncapped Abbott and Doggett were drafted in, Hazelwood’s absence is likely to open the door for Scott Boland to play in the day-night Test between Australia and India that will start on Friday.

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Boland, who was already part of the squad, played the last of his 10 Tests in July 2023 against England at Headingley.

If selected it would be Boland’s second Test match in Adelaide after playing against the West Indies in 2022 when he had match figures of 3-45.

There are also question marks around allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who, like Hazlewood, pulled up sore following their Perth thrashing. Beau Webster was on Thursday called into the squad as cover for him.

Squad for the second Border-Gavaskar Test

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar. Reserves: Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal

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Uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster was on Thursday added to the Australia squad for next week’s second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against India in Adelaide as cover for Mitchell Marsh.

The 30-year-old is on standby after Marsh pulled up sore following their 295-run thrashing by the visitors in the first Test at Perth on Monday.

Webster has been in red-hot form for Tasmania in the domestic Sheffield Shield over the past 18 months, with his seam-bowling prowess and explosive batting catching the eye of selectors.

“[Beau] Webster will join the squad next week having been named the Sheffield Shield player of the year last summer and continuing that form this season,” Cricket Australia (CA) said.

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While questions remain around the fitness of Mitchell Marsh Marsh, Australia coach Andrew McDonald has indicated they will likely stick with the same team despite being outsmarted in Perth.

Webster and the rest of the squad are set to arrive in Adelaide earlier than anticipated to get in extra training sessions ahead of the day-night Test starting on December 6.

After Adelaide, the series moves to Brisbane for the third Test, which is scheduled to be played from December 14 to December 18.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the fourth match from December 26, while the final Test will be played in Sydney from January 3.

Australia squad for the second India Test

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (WK), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, and Beau Webster.

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Australia skipper Pat Cummins admitted that the crushing first Test loss to India “hurt”, but said his team is experienced enough to learn from it and will bounce back in the remaining matches of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Indian side arrived in Australia on the back of a humiliating 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand.

Moreover, their captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Shubman Gill were not available for the first Test. In their absence, India were bundled for a meagre 150 runs in the first innings.

However, Bumrah led the team’s remarkable comeback as they booked Australia to 104 to take a 46-run lead.

India declared their second innings after posting a massive 487-6, setting Australia a mountainous 534-run target. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli struck dominant centuries to set up the mammoth total.

In response, Australia crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four against an inspired attack led by the irrepressible Jasprit Bumrah, who took 3-42 to claim eight wickets in the match.

“Look, I think you kind of sit in the change room after a loss like that and it hurts,” said Pat Cummins after the match. “When a team declares on you, it’s never an amazing feeling. We’ve all been in these situations before.”

“The biggest challenge and the most important thing is how do you bounce back, what’s your next move?

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“So that’s what we’ve got to do this week. Clearly, we were well off the mark, there’s a lot to work on.

“The most important thing is there’s four Test matches to come and how do we make sure that we don’t be in this position again.”

The next Test is in Adelaide next week under lights with a pink ball, a format Australia has excelled at.

Cummins said they would likely arrive in the city earlier than first thought to work on ironing out the batting and bowling issues that cost them in Perth.

But despite allrounder Mitchell Marsh carrying some niggles and Marnus Labuschagne being badly out of form, he does not expect many, if any, changes.

“I think after every Test you always kind of look at what you think your best match-up is,” he said. “Four or five days ago, we thought this was our best 11 so I dare say there won’t be many changes going into Adelaide, but I’m not a selector.”

“I’m sure they’ll get together after the game, but yeah, not to be today and we’ve got a bit of work to do over the next 10 days.”

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