As the dust settled on the enthralling five-match Border Gavaskar Test series (2024-25), the ICC conducted an in-depth assessment of the pitches used in the series. Their pitch ratings were made public by the ICC on Wednesday with Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Gabba, and the MCG, receiving a "very good" rating. The SCG on the other hand, was given the second-best category rating of "satisfactory". 

ICC's pitch rating model underwent a slight overhaul in 2023 and the number of ratings was slashed from six to four — very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and unfit. Test venues around the world are issued demerit points if they are deemed unsatisfactory or unfit ratings.

See also: Rohit and Kohli to play England Test series despite a horrid show in BGT: Reports

Peter Roach pleased with the quality of the pitches that were produced in the series

CA Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling Peter Roach was extremely delighted with the fact that the curators worked tirelessly to produce one of the best decks in world cricket. He expressed his gratitude and lauded them for not compromising on quality. At Cricket Australia, Roach strives to ensure that the pitches have the unique properties to make them stand out from the rest of the venues in the country.   

“We are delighted by the quality of pitches produced for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and grateful for all the hard work of the curators and venues across the country. We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket. We strongly believe that this is one of the reasons that Test cricket is so popular in Australia."

Furthermore, he also adds that the pitch is prepared in such a way as to ensure a balanced battle between the bat and the ball. Unlike the case with India, Pakistan, or any other subcontinent team, CA does not prioritize facilitating home advantage and have some of the most skillful curators with them who can operate in harsh weather conditions.    

“We don’t look to prepare wickets that favor the home side or suit our situation in a series. What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result. Weather obviously plays a significant part in preparation and we know that even our most skilled curators are challenged at times by adverse weather.” 

SCG gets a "satisfactory" rating from the ICC

The SCG Test was the deciding Test of the series and the game ended in a little over three days with Australia winning triumphantly by six wickets. The pitch had an unusually high amount of grass covering which baffled several cricketing gurus which also included the likes of Allan Border and Sunny Gavaskar. Additionally, the pitch also offered a lot of variable bounce which made batting quite tricky at times. 

Nevertheless, the venue got away with a healthy "satisfactory" rating and Roach was once again pleased with what the venue had to offers in terms of pace and bounce.

“The SCG has been striving to bring out their unique characteristics of early pace and bounce before the pitch wears and spins. This year was a step in the right direction to achieving this which provided an exciting finish to the Border Gavaskar Trophy series and bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26.” 

Pacer Jasprit Bumrah has achieved the joint-highest rating points ever for an Indian bowler in the rankings after his stellar performance of 9 for 94 in the third Test at Brisbane.

The Indian pacer, who already leads the rankings list of bowlers has strengthened his position at the top by adding 14 points and taking his tally to 904 points. He is now 48 points clear of second-placed Kagiso Rabada (856). The only other Indian bowler who achieved this milestone is Ravichandran Ashwin who retired recently. He attained a tally of 904 points after the fourth Test against England in Mumbai in December 2016.

Highest Rating Points by Indians

Bowling 
TEST - Ashwin/𝗕𝘂𝗺𝗿𝗮𝗵 (904)*
ODI - Maninder Singh (851)
T20I - Ravi Ashwin (765)

Bumrah is currently the highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Border Gavaskar series with 21 wickets at an average of 10.90 in six innings. He has a chance to break Ashwin's record when both teams meet in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test with the series being tied at 1-1.

See Also:- AUS vs IND 4th Test Preview: Boxing Day Match—Playing XI, Pitch Report, H2H Record & Prediction

Travis Head moves to 4th, Steve Smith enters the Top 10 on the back of centuries

Moving to the batters rankings list, Australian in-form batter Travis Head moves to 4th position replacing India's top order batter Yashasvi Jaiswal. All thanks to Travis Head's 152 in the first innings at Gabba and the century in Adelaide as well. England's batter Joe Root leads the list with 895 rating points. Travis Head's teammate, Steve Smith, enters the Top 10 list on the back of a century in the first innings at the Gabba. Indian wicketkeeper batter has been moved out of the top ten.

Australian Skipper Pat Cummins finds himself back into the top ten list of all-rounders as he picked up 4 wickets and scored 42 runs in the Gabba Test.

Heinrich Klaasen, Saim Ayub improves after Historic ODI Series 

Heinrich Klaasen moves himself from 13th to 5th in the ODI batting rankings after his three consecutive fifties against Pakistan. Pakistan's Saim Ayub who had a brilliant ODI series after scoring 109, 25, and 101 and helping Pakistan to clean sweep the 3-match ODI series moves himself 57 slots to a career-best 23rd position.

Babar Azam continues to lead the ODI batting list, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in second and third place, respectively.

Highest Rating Points by Indians

Batting 
TEST - Virat Kohli (937)
ODI - Virat Kohli (911)
T20I - Suryakumar (910)

As the countdown to the much-awaited Box Day Test draws to a close, India are all in readiness to make some surprising changes to their lineup in a bid to outclass Australia in the ongoing edition of the Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series. As per reports, it has been widely speculated that the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma may return to the top to open the batting with the swashbuckling batter Yashasvi Jaiswal in Melbourne. This claim has been placed by a journalist from the Times of India.

Such a reshuffling at the top of the order would see the in-form Kl Rahul go down and drop all the way to number three as claimed by Rohit Juglan, a RevSportz journalist on Twitter.

Breaking - Rohit Sharma to open - KL to play at 3 in MCG

— रोहित जुगलान Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) December 25, 2024

See also: Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024: AUS vs IND 4th Test, Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today?

Washington Sundar likely to team up with Jadeja as the second spinner at the MCG

Following the alteration of the Indian top order, the management is also mulling to bolster their spin department which has had very little role to play thus far in the series. As far as their expectations are concerned, the Indian team is of the opinion that the track in the MCG will suit the spinners during the latter stages of the Test match. 

Unsurprisingly, Ravindra Jadeja has emerged as the hot pick for the MCG showdown given his vast experience in the longest format, both with the bat and the ball. Furthermore, it is also believed that the management is leaning more towards securing the services of off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar and expects him to play a decisive role in the do-or-die fourth Test. If that were to happen, Nitish Kumar Reddy would have to drop out and make way for the spin-bowling all-rounder.

Rohit Sharma very likely to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul at No.3. Team considering two spinners - Washington Sundar could play in place of Nitish Reddy. But Rohit very likely to open tomorrow at MCG @toisports

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) December 25, 2024

Was it right to sideline Nitish?  

A handful of experts suggest that the young seam-bowling all-rounder may have been hard done-by the management. Reddy presently ranks as the fourth-highest run scorer in the ongoing BGT 2024-25, having accumulated 179 runs across five innings, with an average exceeding 44 and a strike rate of 72. Additionally, he has proven to be a valuable pace bowler for the Indian cricket team, claiming three wickets in 27 overs during the current tour of Australia.

However, the management's desire to push for more experience seems very justified at this stage. Sundar was previously a part of the Indian squad in the earlier BGT edition in 2020-21 where he performed splendidly well, both with the bat and the ball, and bailed India out of danger on a number of occasions. 

The youngest member of the Indian contingent Dhruv Jurel hogged the spotlight during a practice session which threw light on his promising leadership skills. The youngster went as far as even defeating the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The Indian team management devised an incentive-based fielding game comprising three groups - Group A, Group B, and Group C. 

Jurel captained Group C which came on top brushing aside Sarfraz Khan-led Group A & Siraj-led Group B, earning a reward of $300 for their efforts.

See also: PCB confirms neutral venue for Indo-Pak clash

Jurel & Co. throw themselves around to win 300 dollar reward

The fielding competition was conducted as a part of the preparation process for the fourth Test starting in Melbourne on December 26. All three groups were led by young brigades who were all entangled in a fierce battle. Group A was led by Sarfaraz Khan which included some prominent figures like Kohli, Jaiswal, and Rana. 

Target hitting with points system 🎯

3 groups led by young captains 🧢

Cash reward on the line 💰

Fun, energy and intensity - #TeamIndia gears up for the Melbourne Test with a lively fielding drill with Fielding coach T Dilip 💥#AUSvIND

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 23, 2024

Group B was marshaled by Siraj who had high-profile players at his helm such as Kohli, Pant, and Rahul. However, Jurel's Group C emerged triumphant which included the likes of gun players such as Bumrah, Gill, and Jadeja. The defeat of Virat and Rohit's teams at the hands of a youngster serves as a positive indication that the future of Indian cricket is in safe hands. 

Preparations for the Boxing Day Test

Preparations for the upcoming Boxing Day test on December 26 are underway in full swing. With the series evenly balanced at 1-1, both teams have everything to play for in the upcoming Test. Moreover, with the WTC around the corner, both teams realize what's at stake and will look to brace themselves for a high-octane showdown in Melbourne to get themselves ahead. 

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 24–25 series, tied at 1–1 after three matches, has created a lot of excitement for the Boxing Day Test starting on 26 December. This match is very important for both teams. But what’s making the news isn’t just the cricket — it’s how the Australian media is twisting stories to upset the Indian cricket team.

Virat Kohli’s Controversy with Channel 9 Reporter

The drama started right after the Indian team arrived in Melbourne. Virat Kohli, traveling with his family, noticed a female reporter from the Australian media trying to film his family. Kohli politely asked the media not to record his family, saying, “You can film me, but not my family,” and requested that the video be deleted due to a breach of privacy, especially when someone is filming his family without permission. However, the Australian media exaggerated the story, portraying it as a sign of Kohli losing his temper, even labeling him as a bully for allegedly targeting a female reporter. This narrative was set by the Australian press.

Jadeja Criticized for Not Taking Any Questions from Australian Media

Ravindra Jadeja attended a press conference after India’s first net session in Melbourne. He chose to answer questions in Hindi, which led to the assumption that Jadeja was avoiding questions from the Australian media by speaking in Hindi. This made him the next target of criticism. The Australian media claimed that Jadeja’s decision to speak in Hindi was meant to “insult” them following the Kohli incident. This view quickly spread, even though Jadeja often speaks in his native language to communicate more effectively.

Akash Deep Criticized for Avoiding Australian Media

The latest story involved Akash Deep, who spoke at a press conference. Not very confident in English, he answered all questions in Hindi. Both Indian and Australian media were present, and after the drama on the last day, the Indian team’s media manager gave permission for Australian media to ask questions. The question was asked by an Indian journalist on behalf of Channel 7, an Australian media house, to keep things balanced. There should have been no issue with this, and everyone should have been happy with that. However, the Australian media is creating new narratives, claiming that India has been continuously sending Hindi speakers to the last two press meetings to disrespect their press by avoiding English questions.

The Australian media is crafting these stories to put pressure on Team India before the Boxing Day Test. This clearly reflects their frustration and fear of losing, especially after India avoided the follow-on in the third Test and fought hard to secure a draw.

According to emerging reports, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is believed to have injured himself while playing in the nets on Sunday, December 22. As per the latest report published by Times of India, Rohit suffered a blow to his left knee while facing a warm-up delivery from throwdown specialist Daya during India’s second practice session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of the fourth Test.  

After that blow, Rohit carried on for a little bit before holding up to receive medical attention from the physio.

See also: The Escalating Tensions Between Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and the Australian Media

What did the report say?

The report suggests that the Indian skipper did not suffer a very serious injury. The physio has adopted all the necessary precautionary measures to prevent Rohit's injury from aggravating any further.

“The blow didn’t look that serious, and the physio is taking precautions to ensure swelling, if any, subsides. There is still some time left for the Boxing Day Test to begin, and Rohit would hope the pain goes away."

Moreover, the report also described how Rohit reacted after getting hit on his left knee. The 38-year-old reacted in pain after getting hit. He removed his gear and sat on a chair with his left foot extended on another chair. The physio then applied the ice pack on the affected area to which Rohit responded with a certain degree of unpleasure. 

“The Indian captain removed his gear, settled into a chair, and the physio got the ice pack out. There was pain visible on the right-hander’s face when the pack was put on, and the physio later placed the left leg on a chair to get Rohit into a comfortable position."

Rohit's ongoing struggles in the BGT 2024-25

Rohit missed the first Test due to the birth of his second child. But his return to the series has not been an inspiring one. The T20 World Cup-winning captain has been woefully out of touch in the red-ball arena and has averaged just 6.33 in three Test innings down under.

The closure of the third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (2024-25) series brought curtains to Ravi Ashwin's glorious 13-year-long international career. A crafty off-spinner, a useful lower-order batsman, and a tactically astute cricketer were some of Ashwin's standout traits that made him a complete cricketer. 

During his prime, Ashwin propelled the Indian side to glorious wins and played a pivotal role in the national side's success in the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Besides, India's home dominance in Test cricket can majorly be attributed to his all-round heroics with the bat and the ball. 

His sudden retirement midway through the series sent shockwaves through the cricketing fraternity. Ever since his retirement, Ashwin has been receiving countless tributes and wishes from former cricketers wishing him well for his future endeavors. 

See also: Watch: Lyon, Cummins heart-warming gesture to Ashwin on his retirement

Ashwin makes his call log public on social media

In recent times, social media has been buzzing with Ashwin's shocking retirement news. The 38-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder has received numerous congratulatory wishes on his X (formerly Twitter) account. While responding to the wises, Ashwin casually revealed a screenshot of his call log which had the names of legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Kapil Dev mentioned on it. 

If some one told me 25 years ago that I would have a smart phone with me and the call log on the last day of my career as an Indian cricketer would look like this☺️☺️, I would have had a heart attack then only. Thanks @sachin_rt and @therealkapildev paaji🙏🙏 #blessed pic.twitter.com/RkgMUWzhtt

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) December 20, 2024

Calling it a "heart attack" post, the purpose behind making this post viral was to express his gratitude and acknowledge the role the living legends played in helping him shape his glorious cricketing career. The photo of his call log is believed to be from the final days of his international career. Ashwin was reportedly in touch with both Kapil and Tendulkar moments before he made his retirement plan public. From this post, it can be understood that Sachin had interacted with him on Facetime while Kapil Dev got in touch with the spinner on WhatsApp.

While taking to X (formerly Twitter), Ashwin wrote that had someone informed him 25 years ago that his call log would appear the way it has been projected on his post, then he would probably not believe it and faint from a heart attack. Ashwin further adds that he feels immensely honored to have worked with them closely throughout his cricketing career, both on the field as well as off the field. 

Ashwin has previously shared the dressing room with the legendary batsman Tendulkar while representing India. His relationship with Kapil Dev, the captain of India's inaugural World Cup-winning team, has primarily been one of inspiration, occurring mostly off the field.

In a surprising turn of events, emerging reports claim that Virat Kohli is preparing to leave with his family and settle in London along with his wife Anushka Sharma, and their two children, daughter Vamika and son Akaay. This astonishing revelation was made public by his childhood coach Rajkumar in an interview with the Hindi newspaper Dainik Jagran.  

The Indian legend is currently with the Indian Test squad for the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (2024-25) tour but his frequent holiday visits to London have fueled rumors of a possible re-settlement plan. Kohli's possibility of settling with his family in the UK seems highly probable and the very possibility was confirmed by Rajkumar during his recent discussion with Dainik Jagran.

See also: Major shake-up in the Australian squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test

More about Kohli's desire to settle in London

Following the birth of his second child Akaay on February 15, Kohli's bond with London took a whole new shape. London, being the birthplace of Akaay holds a special place in Kohli's heart. After the birth of his son, Kohli made his return to India to play for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Subsequently, he played an instrumental role in India's victory at the T20 World Cup, which took place in the USA and the West Indies.

Over the course of the past few months, Kohli has frequently been spotted vacationing with his family in London and other parts of the UK. Moreover, at the same time, the Indian batting legend is constantly striving to balance his family life and professional responsibilities. Although Rajkumar stressed that the 37-year-old remains committed to cricket as of now, his move to the UK can soon turn into a reality in the days to come.

"Yes, Virat plans to move to London with his children and wife, Anushka Sharma. The move is expected very soon, although he remains focused on his cricketing commitments for now."

Kohli was last seen in London after the conclusion of the white-ball series against Sri Lanka between July and August before returning for the home Test Series against Bangladesh in September.  

Kohli's ongoing struggles in the Border Gavaskar Trophy

It is a no-brainer for anyone to assume that the run machine has been struggling to regain his lost glory. In recent times, Kohli has found himself severely short of runs and his technical flaw outside the off-stump channel has severely been exploited by the Australian bowlers in this series. Excluding his solitary century in Perth, Kohli has looked in awful form with the bat and has averaged only 6.5 in the remaining four innings of this tour.

As the dust settles on a rain-hit Gabba Test, the focus now shifts to Melbourne where both India and Australia will be jostling to get past each other to strengthen their foothold in the Border Gavaskar Trophy Series (2024-25). In a bid to consolidate their standing in the series as well as the WTC 2023-25 points table, Australia have announced a series of unprecedented changes to bolster their Test squad ahead of the all-important Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. 

On Friday, Australia unveiled a 15-member squad for the remainder of the BGT series featuring some surprise selections and omissions. As many as four changes were made by the Aussie management following the conclusion of the drawn third Test. Here is a closer look at some of the eye-popping changes made to Australia's Test squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests.

See also: India beat West Indies to win their first bilateral WT20I series at home after 5 years

Sam Konstas In and Nathan McSweeney Out

The 25-year-old Australian opener Nathan McSweeney has failed to fire in the series. Often being labeled as the puppet of Jasprit Bumrah, McSweeney could only manage paltry scores of 10, 0, 39, 10, 9 & 4 and averaged a shocking 12 across six innings. He has been dropped from the squad to make way for the 19-year Sam Konstas. 

The youngster showed a great degree of promise with the bat in the two-day game in Canberra by scoring an impressive century against a potent Indian bowling attack. The Chair of Selectors George Bailey revealed in an official statement that it was a tough call for the management to select Konstas over McSweeney but at the same time, he praised the former's batting style and looks forward to seeing his game evolve. 

“Sam gets a call up to the Test squad for the first time. His style of batting offers a point of difference and we look forward to watching his game develop further. We remain confident Nathan has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level in the future. It was a difficult decision to leave him out."

Changes in the pace arsenal

Josh Hazlewood's injury for the second time in the series has cemented Scotty Boland's position in the squad. He is expected to feature as a second pace-bowling option along with Starc in the forthcoming Melbourne Test. In addition, Sean Abbott, Jhye Richardson, and Beau Webster have also been drafted to the Test squad. 

Abbott has yet to feature for Australia in the longest format but hasn't had much success playing against India in the limited-overs format managing only nice wickets in 12 matches. Jhye has played only three Tests for Australia but maintains a formidable average of 22.09 with 11 wickets to his name. Moreover, the young pacer scripted a memorable performance against India in the white-ball format by recording his career-best ODI bowling figures of 4-26 in the 2018-2019 ODI series. 

The uncapped Beau Webster has a reputation for his all-round abilities and is currently representing Melbourne Stars in the ongoing BBL tournament. Webster has a prolific record in FC cricket and averages nearly 38 with the bat whereas with the ball he has claimed 148 scalps in 93 matches which also included his career-best figures of 6-100. 

Australian squad for the last two Tests against India: 

Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Beau Webster, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson, Alex Carey, Scott Boland, and Josh Inglis.
 

Indian batting legend Virat Kohli loses his cool after encountering a bunch of reporters and journalists on his arrival in Melbourne ahead of the Boxing Day Test. Before he could exit the airport, Kohli got entangled in a heated war of words with a TV journalist. The moment was captured by Channel 7 cameras. 

After the initial burst, Kohli walked off but later turned back for a brief moment to have a go at the reporters again before completely vacating the scene.

See also: Watch: Kohli-Gambhir celebrate together after Akash Deep's heroic save

So what made King Kohli upset?

It is learnt that Kohli did not like the idea of having all the cameras pointed at his family. Channel 7 reporter Theo Doropoulos elaborates on the real reason behind Kohli's ugly outburst with the journalists. During his conversation with 7NEWS,  Doropoulos highlighted that the presence of the waiting cameras is what annoyed the chase master the most.

“It was upon seeing the waiting cameras that Kohli became a little heated over what is largely a misunderstanding when he thought the media was filming him with his children.”

Watch the entire incident:

Virat Kohli has been involved in a fiery confrontation at Melbourne Airport#INDvsAUS #ViratKohli #ViratKohli𓃵 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/JvqiDDDYew

— Cricket Funny Memes For Fun Only (@cricketmemesJZ) December 19, 2024

Kohli makes his position clear

In his heated confrontation with the media personnel, Kohli was heard saying that he and his family needed some degree of privacy. Moreover, he further adds they cannot go forward with filming without obtaining consent from him.

“With my kids I need some privacy, you can’t film without asking me.”

Kohli's assertion turned out to be incorrect. He can be recorded without restriction as he was in a public setting. Later on, he took a moment to clarify the situation with the media after it was made clear that his children were not being filmed, and he even extended his hand to the Channel 7 cameraman in a gesture of goodwill.

Kohli's form in the ongoing BGT Test series has been a source of concern for the national side. Despite slamming a century in the second innings of the Perth Test, Kohli has found the going to be tough and desperately needs some runs under his belt to get back to his prime best.