Tag: Border Gavaskar Trophy

Former opening batter David Warner has recently expressed his willingness to represent Australia again during the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

Australia will host India for a five-match Test series, starting from November 22 in Perth. The second match will be played in Adelaide from December 6, followed by the third Test in Brisbane, scheduled from December 14-18.

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.

David Warner retired from Test cricket earlier this year in front of the home crowd in Sydney during the third Test against Pakistan. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the last Test series of his career, scoring 299 runs at an average of 49.83.

However, during an interview with Code Sports, Warner shared his eagerness to take back his retirement for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, only if, the selectors show faith in him.

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“I am always available, just got to pick up the phone. I am always dead serious,” said Warner. “Let’s be honest, the guys have played one red-ball game since their last Test match in February, so I’ve also had the same preparation.”

The Southpaw also expressed interest in playing in the Sheffield Shield to exhibit his form and fitness.

“Honestly, if they need me for the series, I am more than happy to play the next Shield game and go out there and play. I retired for the right reasons, but my hand is up if they desperately need someone. I am not going to shy away from that,” he added.

David Warner has represented Australia in 112 Test matches since his debut against New Zealand in 2011. Over his illustrious career, he has amassed 8,786 runs, which includes an outstanding 26 centuries.

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Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday announced the plan to create dedicated fan zones for the Indian audience at all venues during the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar series later this year.

The five venues in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide will have dedicated seating areas for Indian fans.

The plan to establish fan zones aligns with Cricket Australia’s Multicultural Action Plan, aiming to create an inclusive environment for Indian cricket fans.

CA will soon announce details of ticket sales for the fan zones, encouraging Indian fans to seize the chance to enjoy the high-action series in the vibrant atmosphere.

Fans will be allowed to bring traditional musical instruments such as the Dhol in the fan zones.

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CA took a similar initiative last year during Pakistan’s tour of Australia, setting up a dedicated space for Pakistan cricket fans labelled as the ‘Pakistan Bay’ in Perth Stadium for the first Test match.

‘Pakistan Bay’ consisted of two stands surrounding the Pakistan team’s dressing room. Pakistani tea, halal food, and desi cuisines were also available for Pakistan cricket fans.

The Border-Gavaskar series will kick off on 22 November in Perth, followed by the Day-Night Test in Adelaide on 6 December.

The Gabba in Brisbane will host the third Test, while the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the Boxing Day Test.

The series will conclude in Sydney with the Pink Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)

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AHMEDABAD: India won their fourth series in a row against Australia after a fourth and final Test lit up by an epic 186 by Virat Kohli ended in a draw on Monday in Ahmedabad.

The hosts won the series 2-1 and the world’s two top-ranked teams will do battle again on June 7-11 at The Oval in the World Test Championship final.

Even before the players shook hands on day five, India knew they had reached the WTC decider thanks to New Zealand’s thrilling last-ball win over Sri Lanka earlier in the day.

It will be India’s second successive WTC final, having lost the inaugural edition to New Zealand in 2021.

Australia reached 175-2 in their second innings in the final session of play at the world’s biggest cricket stadium when the players of both teams called it a day.

“We do understand the importance of this series and the opposition. Lot of hard work has gone into this,” India skipper Rohit Sharma said.

Coach Rahul Dravid told broadcaster Star Sports: “It was a really hard-fought series, there were moments where we were put under extreme pressure by a really good cricket team and we responded.”

India similarly lifted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home in 2017 and then beat the Australians in their own back yard in 2018-19 and 2020-21, each time 2-1.

Travis Head (90) and Marnus Labuschagne (63 not out) snuffed out India’s push for a victory on the final day with a stand of 139 after nightwatchman Matthew Kuhnemann fell early for six.

The left-handed Head, capping a successful series after being left out of the first Test, missed out on his century after being bowled by Axar Patel.

Regular opener Usman Khawaja did not to bat due to “lower leg soreness” after getting hurt while fielding on day four.

The match in Ahmedabad belonged though to Kohli, who hit a masterful knock on day four to end a Test century drought of 1,205 days since his previous ton.

The marathon 364-ball knock blocked every chance of a potential defeat for the hosts after Australia posted 480 on a vastly different pitch from the previous three Tests.

Kohli, one of the best players of his generation, recorded his 28th Test century to power India to 571 all out on Sunday as India managed a lead of 91 after their first innings.

“I think in Test cricket I wasn’t able to play with my tempo and template that I have played with for the last 10 years for a while now,” said the man-of-the-match.

Kohli’s partnership of 162 for the sixth wicket with Axar, who hit his third half-century of the series with an attacking 79, marked India’s dominance on Sunday.

Opener Shubman Gill hit 128 to lead India’s reply and make the most of his opportunity after being added to the team in place of struggling KL Rahul in the third Test.

Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin excelled with his six wickets in Australia’s first innings, in a run-filled match which was at odds with the first three Tests.

Ashwin managed 25 wickets in the series, ahead of Ravindra Jadeja’s 22, as the spin duo received the player-of-the-series award jointly.

Not to be outdone, Australian spinner Nathan Lyon took 22 wickets including three in the final Test and was ably supported by up-and-coming spinners Todd Murphy and Kuhnemann.

“The spinners bowled really well,” said stand-in-skipper Steve Smith.

“Murphy and Kuhnemann bowled with composure. Lyon bowled his best in the first innings here, the best I have seen him bowl.”

An Australia team which lost several players to injury and personal circumstances had appeared on the brink of chaos after being well beaten inside three days in the first two Tests.

But the tourists roared back to win the third match in Indore in just over two days on a viciously turning track to keep the series alive until the final match.

Smith led Australia in the final two Tests after regular captain Pat Cummins returned home to be with his seriously ill mother. She died last week.

The two teams now head into three one-day internationals starting Friday in Mumbai, ahead of the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.

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AHMEDABAD: Virat Kohli hit his first Test century in more than three years with a towering 186 as India batted themselves out of danger of a series-levelling defeat to Australia in the fourth Test on Sunday.

The hosts finished their first innings on 571 to overhaul Australia’s 480 and get a first-innings lead of 91 on another run-filled day four at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

Kohli was the last man out after he fell to Todd Murphy in the final session of play as India lost their ninth wicket and Shreyas Iyer did not bat due to back pain.

Australia reached three for no loss at stumps with Travis Head getting the runs while alongside nightwatchman Matthew Kuhnemann.

The left-handed Kuhnemann made a surprise entry to the crease after opener Usman Khawaja, who hit 180 in Australia’s innings, did not come out to bat after getting hurt on the field.

Kohli ruled the day with his 28th Test ton after he got a single off spinner Nathan Lyon in the second session to bring the house down as fans went wild with celebration.

Kohli, who now has 75 international tons across three international formats, kissed his locket before looking up to the sky.

Resuming on 59 after reaching his first Test half-century on Saturday since January 2022, the landmark came after a patient innings of 241 balls.

Kohli then hit a flurry of fours after reaching his hundred and along with an attacking Axar Patel, who made 79, put on a marathon stand of 162 for the sixth wicket.

Khawaja attempted to catch an Axar six at the boundary but could not stay inside the rope, hurting his foot in the process and limping off the field.

Kohli got past 150 after tea and Axar raised his third half-century of the series to wear down the opposition bowlers on a pitch vastly different from the rank turners in the previous three matches.

Spinners Lyon and Murphy bowled 110.5 overs between to get three wickets each on another day of hard grind for the bowlers.

Axar went into fifth gear after his fifty as he slogged and smashed Kuhnemann for two sixes in an over before being bowled off an inside edge by Mitchell Starc.

Kohli lost his overnight partner Ravindra Jadeja for 28 in the morning session and Srikar Bharat fell in the afternoon after the wicketkeeper-batsman hit 44 in an 84-run partnership with the former captain.

Iyer didn’t come out to bat after he went for scans following complaints of lower back pain after the end of day three.

Opener Shubman Gill led India’s strong reply on Saturday with his 128 before he fell to Lyon, who returned with figures of 3-151 from 65 overs.

India need a win to clinch the series and be sure of a berth in the World Test Championship final in June.

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DUBAI: The Indore pitch used for the third Test between India and Australia has been marked as “poor” and handed three demerit points, the International Cricket Council announced on Friday. 

The match, which was dominated from the start by spin bowling, ended midway through the opening session on day three with Australia winning by nine wickets.

“The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start,” match referee Chris Broad wrote in his report.

“The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) have 14 days in which to appeal against the sanction.

If a venue accumulates five or more demerit points, it is suspended for 12 months from hosting any international cricket.

Indore was only given two weeks to prepare for the Test after it was switched from Dharamsala where the relaid outfield was still not ready for Test cricket.

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NEW DELHI: Spinner Nathan Lyon’s five wickets and a breezy start by the batsmen gave Australia the upper hand in the second Test against India despite a counter-attacking 74 by Axar Patel on an intense second day.

India were all out for 262 after a key 114-run eighth-wicket fightback by Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin, leaving the tourists a lead of one run in New Delhi.

Australia raced to 61 for one at stumps after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Usman Khawaja for six after a reverse sweep flew straight to leg slip.

Travis Head, on 39 with five fours and one six, and Marnus Labuschagne, on 16, were batting at the close of play with Australia leading by 62 runs in their second innings.

“We need to stop Australia to around 220-250 and I think that will be a gettable target on this pitch if we bat on day four,” Axar, a left-hand batsman and a spinner, told reporters.

“Bowlers will have to be patient and work on getting wickets, bowl in good areas even when the batsmen are scoring runs,” he added.

“In the last session they played aggressively and we noticed that.”

Number eight Axar stood out for India with his second successive Test half-century as he took on the opposition bowlers with nine fours and three sixes.

Ashwin played the anchor in his 37 before he fell to Pat Cummins, who struck with the second new ball to get the batsman caught at square leg by Matt Renshaw, a concussion substitute for David Warner.

Cummins took a stunner at mid on to end Axar’s brave knock off Todd Murphy and fellow spinner Matthew Kuhnemann ended the Indian innings in the final session.

Lyon led Australia’s charge with four wickets to rattle India in the morning and then claimed his 22nd Test five-for in an afternoon session that saw a controversial dismissal of Virat Kohli on 44.

“Today was an amazing challenge against some world-class superstars. Happy with the way I came out and the role I played,” said Lyon, who became the first Australian bowler to take 100 Test wickets against India.

Kohli was given out lbw by the on-field umpire off debutant Kuhnemann and a review declared it too close to judge whether the ball hit the bat or pad first, before tracking suggested it was hitting leg stump.

Third umpire Richard Illingworth upheld the decision, much to the surprise of Kohli, who went back dejected and was seen animated while watching replays in the pavilion.

Kohli had resisted the Australian spinners until his departure and put on a key fifth-wicket stand with the left-handed Jadeja, who fell to Murphy for 26.

But Axar seemed unfazed by the decision and India’s dire position as he took stock and then hit back with a four and six off Kuhnemann.

He kept up the attack after tea and reached his fifty with a six, ably supported by Ashwin.

The tourists overcame an early blow when a concussion ruled opener Warner out of the match following a hit on the head in his day one knock of 15.

Lyon struck twice in the space of three deliveries with Rohit Sharma bowled for 32 and Cheteshwar Pujara out lbw for a duck in the batsman’s landmark 100th Test.

NEW DELHI: Gritty half-centuries from Usman Khawaja and Peter Handscomb guided Australia to a fighting 263 all out against inspired Indian bowlers on Friday’s opening day of the second Test.

India reached 21 for no loss at stumps with the hosts still trailing Australia by 242 runs here. Skipper Rohit Sharma, on 13, and KL Rahul, on four, were batting.

Australia worked with spin right from the second over with debutant Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon bowling six overs between them.

Handscomb (72 not out) and Khawaja (81) played key knocks to boost Australia’s total after the tourists, who lost the opener of the four-match series inside three days, again elected to bat on another turning track.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami took four wickets while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja had three each.

“It is always challenging when you have quality bowlers like Ashwin and Jadeja, it is always tough work,” Khawaja told broadcaster Star Sports after the day’s play.

Australia’s 263 was “very competitive, it’s not easy out there,” he added. “There are few cracks. I think tomorrow will tell the tale which way this game is going.”

Shami wrapped up the Australian innings in the final session as he bowled Kuhnemann for six.

Khawaja’s knock came to an end before tea, with a stunning one-handed catch from KL Rahul giving left-arm spinner Jadeja his 250th Test wicket.

Rahul dived full stretch to his right to grab the ball on a reverse sweep from Khawaja, who fell to his knees in absolute disbelief.

Handscomb and Khawaja had put on 59 crucial runs in the second session before the latter’s departure.

But Handscomb kept up the grind and reached his fifth Test half-century in an eighth-wicket stand with skipper Pat Cummins, who made 33 before being trapped lbw by Jadeja.

Earlier Ashwin dismissed wicketkeeper Alex Carey for a duck for his third wicket of the day as India once again called the shots after a mini Australia fightback.

The off-spinner struck twice in one over before lunch including Marnus Labuschagne, for 18, and Steve Smith, for a duck, to put the tourists in trouble.

David Warner, who scored one and 10 in Nagpur in the first Test, was the first to go after taking 21 balls to score the first runs of his innings.

He had faced a barrage of short balls by seamer Mohammed Siraj and took a couple of blows, on the elbow and the back of the helmet.

Just when it looked like the left-handed opener had settled in, Shami produced a peach of a delivery that pitched and held its line from around the wicket, with the keeper taking the edge behind.

Warner did not come out to field and Khawaja said his fellow opener felt “weary” after the hit on the head.

“The medical staff will have to figure out what happens from here on in,” he added.

Shami said India’s fast bowlers knew the conditions well and the pitch was not necessarily suited for spinners.

“We get drilled into our heads that Indian pitches are slow and not for fast bowlers,” he said.

“It’s a good weapon if the short ball is used. Bouncer is a good option.”

Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara was presented with a special cap on his landmark 100th match and entered the field through a corridor created by the players.

The hosts haven’t lost a Test at the venue — previously called Feroz Shah Kotla — since 1987.

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Australia called up left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann to bolster the squad ahead of its second match against India, with coach Andrew McDonald saying Sunday he had a “live chance” of making his Test debut in Delhi.

The tourists suffered an innings and 132-run hammering inside three days of the opener in Nagpur on Saturday to trail the four-match series 1-0.

Kuhnemann, a 26-year-old bowler who played four one-day internationals last year, would strengthen Australia’s spin resources, with his Queensland teammate Mitchell Swepson due to return home for the birth of his first child.

“He’s a live chance to play in the next Test match,” McDonald told reporters on what would have been the fourth day of the opener.

“If we play three spinners then we clearly want back-up here and available in the squad if that’s the way we want to go. That’s why we’ve got four spinners in the squad.”

World number one Australia were outplayed by India in Nagpur, and McDonald said it would be a challenge to tackle “extreme spin” in all four matches.

“The first Test match of any series sets the scene to potentially the surfaces you are going to encounter,” said McDonald.

“It will be a different challenge (in Delhi), but we feel as though it will be extreme spin… throughout the series.”

The visitors fell for 177 in the first innings and 91 in the second on a turning Nagpur pitch, where the hosts made 400.

Skipper Rohit Sharma made 120, but Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm orthodox Ravindra Jadeja combined to flatten the Australian batting twice with 15 wickets between them.

Kuhnemann said he was excited to fly to India after he got the news during a Sheffield Shield game in Melbourne.

“Got a phone call yesterday morning when walking out for the warm-ups. Was pretty shocked,” Kuhnemann said after Queensland’s defeat to Victoria.

“I was just lucky enough that my passport was in my bag.

“I watched every day (of the first Test) just being such a fan. These series are so good to watch. Todd Murphy was exceptional and sort of watched how Jadeja bowled. So just really excited to get over there.”

Debutant Murphy was the lone bright spot for Australia in Nagpur, with figures of 7-124 as he got out the Indian greats including Virat Kohli with his off-spin.

The visiting team will be looking to make changes for a bounce back, with all-rounder Cameron Green and pace bowler Mitchell Starc in line to make the team in the match starting Friday.