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. 

Jasprit Bumrah has been the standout bowler for India in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Test Series (2024-25) and played a pivotal role in driving India to a famous win in Perth in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Lauded predominately for his leadership skills, Bumrah had a devastating impact with the ball as his figures of 5-30 in the first and 3-42 in the second innings left the Aussies reeling in Perth. 

But well into the second Test, Bumrah's struggle with fitness became all too evident when the star pacer pulled up during his 20th over owing to a cramp.  Eventually, Bumrah got back on his feet after receiving treatment and was able to carry on. But concerns over his fitness for the remainder of the series loomed. However, India bowling coach Morne Morkel quashed all those fears once and for all and stated that the speedster still has a lot of gas left in him to fire at full throttle.

See also: Australia unveils their playing Xl for the third Test, Hazlewood comes in for Boland

Bumrah surprises everyone by turning to spin

In the build-up to the third Test, a clip of Bumrah's bowling has gone viral where he could reportedly be seen bowling leg-breaks before switching to fast bowling. After having a few friendly warm-up deliveries of spin bowling, Bumrah upped his velocity and fired an immaculate thunderbolt to beat KL Rahul past the outside edge of his bat.

Jasprit Bumrah started off with a couple of leg-breaks alongside R Ashwin but he’s now running in hot & bowling at full tilt, being an absolute handful to KL Rahul & Yashasvi Jaiswal #AusvInd pic.twitter.com/3IRzE0QXbm

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 12, 2024

From the above clip, it is evident that Bumrah is at his fluent best and appears to be operating at a steady pace thus putting all the notions of fitness issues to rest. 

Fleming raises alarm bells and refutes Morkel's claims on Bumrah's fitness

Contrary to Morkel's belief, Australian cricketer turned commentator, Damien Fleming had a different opinion on this matter and raised questions on Bumrah's fitness. He believed that Bumrah was suffering from something far more sinister than a cramp and further revealed that his bowling in the second innings spilled a lot of secrets to his foes. 

“There’s no way that’s cramp. He was very ginger after the break in the first innings. He bowled again, not quite as slow second innings. I don’t even know why he bowled that over [in the second innings]. That actually gave some secrets away to everyone." 

There has been considerable attention on Bumrah's workload due to his previous injury history. With players such as Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana delivering inconsistent performances in the initial two matches, there are recommendations for India to bring Mohammed Shami to Australia for the remainder of the series to alleviate some of the pressure on Bumrah.

Ahead of India's grueling Test encounter in the Gabba, Indian cricketer Virat Kohli along with his wife Anushka Sharma were spotted having a light moment in Brisbane, Australia. For the day out, Anushka turned up in a white outfit and was seen wearing an animated ear-shaped headband. Whereas his partner Kohli was dressed in a blue T-shirt and denims.

See also: Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024: AUS vs IND 3rd Test, Match Prediction- Who Will Win Today?

Anushka posts pictures of her day out on her Instagram 

The duo visited the Bluey's World restaurant in Brisbane where they immersed themselves in a blissful moment. Upon their visit, Anushka took to her Instagram to post pictures of the couple's outing. In her social media post, Anushka wrote "Best day ever (with a blue heart emoji)" along with a picture of themselves which also included a burger and fries in the frame.

On one side, Anushka shared a selfie along with Virat where the duo could be seen posing with a single piece of fry. And the other side of the post contained a photo of the food that they consumed. Overall, Anushka concluded the post with the following caption "Bandit and chilli (blue heart and salute emojis)."

Virat and Anushka together in Australia

Virat is slated to play the third Test of the ongoing BGT series (2024-25) in Brisbane starting tomorrow. Amidst a lean patch, Kohli was finally able to overcome his deficiencies and defied all odds in Perth to script a memorable Test ton. Soon after Virat reached his ton, Anushka was spotted cheering and clapping with pride. In several photos, Anushka was seen smiling and clapping as she stood up from her seat. He also blew a kiss to Anushka, which left her smiling.

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is all in readiness to fire with the ball for his side in the upcoming Gabba Test. Marsh, 33, has instilled a great deal of trust in the coaching and medical staff who played a key role in his recovery prior to the start of the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series. The all-rounder has faced prior issues with his back since the limited-overs tour to the UK in September where he only bowled once after a hiatus of nearly five months. 

Marsh was expected to feature with the ball in the Sheffield Shield early this season but the plans never materialized as persistent problems with the back proved to be a major hindrance in his bowling. However, despite his difficulties with the back, Marsh managed to leave an impact with the ball in the Perth Test bowling a marathon 17 overs and finishing with two valuable wickets to his name. 

See also: Australia's pace trio signed as BBL supplementary players

Marsh extends his gratitude to McDonald and the rest of the medical staff

Marsh admits that he was slightly underutilized in the build-up to the series. But at the same time, he expresses his desire to play his part with the ball should the need arise. He further adds that he is ready to bowl as many overs as possible for his skipper and makes it clear that there is no upper limit to how many he can bowl.

"I'll try and be ready to bowl as much as Patty needs me. Our allrounders haven't bowled a hell of a lot in Australia the last few years, but I am really thankful for our medical staff and Ronny [coach Andrew McDonald] and Patty who have allowed me the space between that first and second Test to just get right for the game. I didn't bowl as much as I would have liked to in the lead-up to the series, but our medical staff, Ronnie and Patty were really clear. I trusted that."

Furthermore, he also feels grateful for the role the medical and the coaching staff (including Andrew McDonald) played in getting him into the right head space before the start of the second Test. He feels that his back is more than ready to deal with the workload and wants to hit the ground running once he gets an opportunity with the ball in the upcoming Brisbane Test. 

How is Australia's pace battery shaping up ahead of Gabba Test?

Australia have been jolted by some injury concerns in their bowling department in this ongoing Test series. Josh Hazlewood, who initially sustained a lower side strain injury in the aftermath of the first Test was sidelined from the pink-ball Test in Adelaide. With the Gabba nets offering limited space to run, Hazlewood headed to the nearby Allan Border Field where he alongside Starc were put through the paces with an extended run-up. His fitness is closely being evaluated and if he pulls up right on Friday, he will be in a strong position to rejoin the team, potentially at the expense of Scott Boland.

India's brutal hammering by a margin of 10 wickets in the Adelaide Test has been a major talking point in recent times. But it is not the only subject that is dominating the headlines. Siraj's on-field verbal spat with Head has been buzzing the internet for quite some time now. This incident has sparked strong reactions from several cricketing legends (retired and present) from both nations.

While a vast majority of the viewers held critical views on the on-field controversy, the ICC quickly sprung into action to settle the issue once and for all. As a form of punishment, Siraj received one demerit point and was docked 20% of his match fees. However, on the flip side, Head got away with one demerit point and was surprisingly not charged with any monetary fines as was the case with Siraj. 

See also: ICC punishes Siraj and Head for their on-field incident

Bhajji not impressed as ICC imposes harsh fine on Siraj  

While speaking to Star Sports, Harbhajan was visibly not pleased with ICC's decision to punish Siraj on financial grounds and expressed his displeasure about the same.  

“Well, I think ICC is a bit too strict on players. These things happen in the ground. Obviously, forget what has happened and move forward. The players have patched up and talked to each other. Anyways, ICC being ICC has sanctioned the players. Let’s put that aside now and let’s move forward which is obviously, Brisbane. Let’s focus on cricket rather than all these controversies. Enough is enough." 

However, in the end, he stressed that the matter should not prolong much further as the ICC has passed a resolution and the two players reportedly patched up right after the end of the second Test. Furthermore, he urges the cricketing fraternity to now shift their focus to bigger aspects of the game that have the potential to define the outcome of the series. 

Piyush Chawla in alignment with Harbhajan Singh's viewpoint on this saga  

Indian spinner Piyush Chawla also extended his support to Harbhajan Singh on this recent controversy, suggesting that the matter should be closed since the ICC has acted on it. According to him, it is difficult to ascertain what exactly was said during that moment, and believes that there is no point in picking sides. 

"You can't really say who was wrong, who was right here. What I feel is that this should be the end of this thing right now. There's no on this thing to the next match or the fourth test match, and just that, what I feel personally is, that things will definitely get heated from the next Test match again, but what incident happened here, should leave it here in Adelaide." 

India received a crushing blow after their defeat in Adelaide by 10 wickets. Besides, South Africa's 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka have thrown them out of the top two positions in the WTC table. With so much at stake, India's upcoming Test match in Brisbane will be of paramount importance.  

From the highs of India's glorious Test win in Perth, the 10-time BGT title champs came crashing down in Adelaide where they were folded in less than two and half days on the back of a thumping 10-wicket defeat. Former Indian Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara commented on India's recent defeat in Adelaide and highlighted key changes that India must make ahead of their crucial third Test.

Pujara offers two possible solutions to India that can help them stay alive in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (2024-25) series.  First, the 36-year-old stressed that an underperforming Ravi Ashwin must make way for Washington Sundar who had a sizeable impact in the first Test. And second, he insisted the Indian think tank to retain Harshit Rana for the third Test despite his hot-and-cold show in Adelaide. 

See also: WTC qualification scenarios for top four teams teams

So what's on Pujara's mind?

During his conversation with Star Sports, Pujara presents a visual depiction of what India's potential playing eleven may look like at the start of the third Test. He feels only one change may be necessary and R Ashwin can miss out due to his poor show with the bat in Adelaide. But at the same time, he expresses his support for Rana who failed to deliver an all-round impact with the bat and the ball.

“I feel only one change might happen. Since the batting wasn't good, Washington Sundar can come in place of R Ashwin. Should someone come in place of Harshit Rana? In my opinion, no. You backed him and he performed well in the first match.”

The suggestion to pick Sundar over Ashwin seems justified as Ashwin failed to help himself with the bat when his team needed him and only managed to pick up a sole wicket. Whereas on the contrary, Sundar is comparatively a more astute all-rounder and can come in more than handy with the bat in fairly tricky conditions. He showcased his class with the bat and the ball chipping in with a handy 29 in the second innings and picking 2-48 with the ball to hand India one of their biggest Test wins against Australia.

Rana showed a lot of promise with the ball in the first Test and picked up three crucial wickets in the first innings but failed to live up to the expectations when all eyes turned to the pink-ball Test. He proved to be very erratic with his control and leaked a significant chunk of runs while going completely wicketless.

Moreover, Pujara feels that removing a player after one ordinary performance can lead to a negative impact on a player's physiological health. 

As it stands

India's horror show with the bat has led to the undoing in the second Test. In both innings, team India failed to go past the 200-run mark. Moreover, the form of batting stalwarts such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli has also been a cause for concern. Apart from their brilliant fightback in Perth which saw them post 487 for the loss of six wickets, India's batting has lacked the edge and the resilience for which it had been so famously renowned for. 

With the series level at 1-1, India needs a win in Brisbane to keep their WTC aspirations alive. At present, the management is currently confronted with challenging choices concerning the selection of the playing eleven.