With less than 24 hours to go for the Gabba Test, Australia have revealed their playing eleven. The hosts make a solitary change by dropping Scott Boland who will make way for Josh Hazlewood. The Australian skipper Pat Cummins confirmed that the ace pacer has regained his fitness after suffering an injury in the first Test and is ready to hit the ground running in Brisbane. 

It was by no means a straightforward decision for the management to make. Hazlewood was sidelined from the Adelaide Test after picking up a side injury. Coming in as his replacement, Scott Boland played an instrumental role with the ball to power Australia to a thumping 10-wicket win helping his side level the series 1-1. 

See also: Marsh available to deliver with the ball in Gabba Test

Cummins sheds light on Hazlewood's selection over Boland

Despite his promising exploits in Adelaide which saw him get rid of Jaiswal, Kohli, Gill, and Rohit, Boland was forced to make way at the expense of Hazlewood. The New South Wales bowler has had to cope with a myriad of injuries throughout his career and the selectors had to mindful of reintroducing him too quickly for the second Test.

But during his conversation with the reporters on Friday, Cummins stated that he is happy to see the way things are shaping up for Hazlewood after the injury. The quick was put through the paces in Adelaide and both the skipper and the medical staff are pleased with how he is hold up.

"He's had no hiccups. He had a really good bowl yesterday, he had another bowl in Adelaide a couple of days previously. Him and the medical team are really confident."

However, Cummins does not rule out the possibility of not having Boland feature for the remainder of the Test series. Boland had been away from the international scene for an eternity but despite his long absence, Cummins thinks highly of him. The Australian skipper hopes to see him in action and play a decisive role at some point in the series. 

"It’s tough. He was fantastic in Adelaide and unfortunately, he’s spent quite a lot of time on the bench in the last 18 months and whenever he plays he’s fantastic. It’s a shame for Scotty but there’s still a fair bit to play out this series so I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t get another crack at some point."

Australia's playing eleven for the third Test

Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

South African-born Kiwi batter Devon Conway is all set to be excluded from the third Test between New Zealand and England scheduled to take place in Hamilton on 14 December. The opener will stay in Wellington where his side suffered a brutal 323-run drubbing in the second Test and will remain with his family to see the birth of his newborn child. 

See also: Adelaide Test, Day 3: Australia bounce back in the series with 10-wicket win

Mark Chapman comes in as his replacement

Ahead of the third and final Test, New Zealand have roped in Auckland Aces batter Mark Chapman. The 30-year-old holds a healthy batting average of 46.14 in FC cricket with seven centuries under his belt. Champan is yet to make an appearance for New Zealand in the longest format.

New Zealand coach Gary Stead was in full support of Conway and expects him to make the most of his quality time with his family on this auspicious occasion. Moreover, he also heaped praise on Champan who has been in the midst of a remarkable run in the ongoing Plunket Shield tournament. 

"Family comes first in this environment and we're all really excited for Dev and his wife Kim to welcome their first child. Mark was with the Test squad in India recently and returned to the Plunket Shield by scoring an impressive 276 - so it's a good time for him to be joining us."

An opportunity for Will Young to return to the fore

It came as a surprise to many when the New Zealand squad was announced prior to the Test series. The omission of Young who averaged nearly 49 and was adjudged Player of the Series in New Zealand's historic Test series win over India raised quite a few eyebrows.

Unfortunately, he had to make way for Williamson who fully regained his fitness right before the start of the home Test series. He made a resounding impact upon his return becoming the leading run scorer for his side with 195 runs to his name at an average of 48.75. New Zealand have already surrendered to England in this series by a margin of 0-2. The Black Caps will have one last chance to salvage their lost pride in the upcoming Hamilton Test which is expected to commence later this week. 

Runs galore in the first Test at Christchurch as England dominated the Black Caps and registered a thumping victory on the back of a breathtaking knock from Harry Brook. Brook's counter-attacking 171 set the foundation for an emphatic eight-wicket win in the second innings as England managed to chase down 104 in just under 15 overs.

After playing that match-winning innings, the 25-year-old Englishman has moved up by two spots to no.2 position in the ICC Test Batting rankings. And by doing so, the dazzling top-order English batsman has bridged the gap between him and Joe Root who is currently at the top of the table with a rating of 895. Moreover, after bettering his rating to 854, the difference between him and Root is now down to just 41.

See also: New Zealand receive another huge blow in WTC points table

Yashasvi Jaiswal loses his no.2 position to Harry Brook

Brook has emerged as someone who can go close to challenging Joe Root's dominance at the top. Jaiswal's heroics at Perth in the second innings (161) propelled the dashing opener to the second position. However, the considerable gap between the first and the second Test opened a window of opportunity for Brook to make some rapid gains.

Following Brook's blistering batting show in Hagley Oval, Jaiswal was displaced from the no.2 position and slipped two more spots down the rankings at no.4. The start Kiwi batter Kane Williamson managed to hold on to the third position by scoring an impressive 93 & 61 upon his comeback. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gains for the other batters

Apart from the ongoing BGT 2024-25 & England-New Zealand Test series, the recently concluded first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Durban also produced some extraordinary batting performances. 

The Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma led his side from the front by playing a gutsy innings of 70 on a difficult seaming wicket followed by a sensational ton in the second innings which virtually decided the match in his side's favor. On the back of that performance, Bavuma managed to break into the top 10 of the ICC Men's Test batting rankings.

Tristan Stubbs' brilliant 122 in the second innings catapulted him by 29 spots to no.42 position in the batting table. On the other hand, Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka rose by two places to the 17th spot as a result of his resilient second-innings 83.

Following the conclusion of the first Test between England and New Zealand, both teams were docked three WTC points and 15% of their match fees for maintaining slow over rates during the Hagley Oval test. 

England captain and all-rounder Ben Stokes was left confused after his side incurred a loss of WTC points despite finishing the game 10 hours earlier than the scheduled cessation time. 

See also: New Zealand receive another huge blow in WTC points table

So what's all the fuss about? 

Prior to the build-up to the first Test, Stokes claimed that he was overly confused by the whole idea of WTC and labeled it as "utterly confusing". Furthermore, the marquee all-rounder also added that he never gave the notion of the WTC enough consideration. 

England finished fourth in the earlier edition of the WTC cycle and are currently ranked sixth in the ongoing WTC edition meaning that they will miss their spot for the finals a second straight time. 

Stokes took to his Instagram handle to respond to the sanctions from the ICC. Writing on his Instagram story, Stokes took a humorous swipe at them by stating the following:

"Good on you ICC. Finished the game with 10 hours of play still left."

After losing 19 of the 28 points they earned during the 2023 Ashes series, England has now been punished 22 WTC points in the 2023–25 cycle for their slow over-rates. In the aftermath of the first Test, both teams were found guilty of being behind by three overs even after taking time allowances into consideration. 

Where do the two teams stand now in the 2023-25 WTC points table?

The implementation of slow over-rate penalties has done more harm than good to New Zealand who were coming off after registering a famous test series sweep against India. The defeat has now tarnished their WTC aspirations as the Black Caps slipped from fourth to fifth position in the points table and can only move as high as 55.36% with wins from their remaining two fixtures in the series.

England on the other hand, are all but out of the WTC Final race but have bettered their standing slightly by moving to the sixth position. 

While the race for the final two spots in the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship points table is becoming a thriller as time progresses, New Zealand have recently received two huge blows. After losing their first game in a three-match home Test series against England, they now received another blow in the points table. 

Christchurch hosted the Test series opener between New Zealand and England, where England won by eight wickets. While New Zealand climbed to a challenging position in the ongoing WTC cycle points table after their historic whitewash against the hosts India in the three-match Test series, the Christchurch defeat was a blow for the Blackcaps, who are battling for the next WTC final. 

See Also: Bangladesh ODI squad announced for West Indies tour without major senior names

England and New Zealand suffer three-point deduction

For maintaining a slow over-rate in the Christchurch Test, both England and New Zealand have been handed a deduction of three points each in the WTC points table and penalised 15 percent of the match fees from all players of the match. 

During the Christchurch Test, both teams were three overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. New Zealand captain Tom Latham and England captain Ben Stokes both have accepted the proposed sanction, which means that there is no need for a formal hearing. 

Despite the Christchurch Test win, England are out of contention for the next WTC final. They have earned 102 points in 20 games in this WTC cycle, while they also faced a total of 22 points deduction due to slow over rate. Their latest points percentage is 42.50, and they are standing in sixth place, just below New Zealand. 

After losing the Christchurch Test, the inaugural WTC winners New Zealand were struggling in joint fourth place with 72 points after 12 Tests, and the points percentage was 50.00, similar to Sri Lanka. Due to the latest deduction of three points, the Blackcaps slipped to fifth place with a points percentage of 47.92 (69 points).

India, South Africa, and Australia are the present top three

India are leading the ongoing WTC cycle points table with 110 points after 15 Tests with a points percentage of 61.11. South Africa have climbed to second place with a points percentage of 59.26 (64 points) after winning the Durban Test against Sri Lanka by 233 runs. Meanwhile, the defending champions Australia, are in third place with a points percentage of 57.69 (90 points).

Jaspirt Bumrah-led Indian side handed Australia their second-biggest Test defeat in terms of margin at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The 295-run defeat also marked the end of Australia's unbeaten run at that venue. 

The spirited performance from the visitors has sent shockwaves which as a result, has attracted sharp criticism from fans and leading cricketing experts from the country.  However, many are of the opinion that there are signs of a growing amount of discontent within the Australian players in the dressing room. 

A divide between the Australian batters and bowlers

The signs of a potential rift first came to light when Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood was asked about his side's approach in the first Test. He shockingly attributed the team's downfall to the batters who severely underperformed in the first innings. 

Many cricketing legends such as Adam Gilchrist were not amused with Josh's statement and indicated that a divide between the batters and the bowlers in the dressing room can really be detrimental to the team's success for the remainder of the series. 

Pat Cummins puts these theories to rest

Amidst deteriorating ties in the dressing room, the Aussie skipper Pat Cummins brushed all the claims of a possible rift aside stating that the unit is together and that the players “look after each other.”

In an interview with ABC Sports, Cummins reiterated that despite the horrendous defeat in the first Test, his side remains the top-ranked team in world cricket and vows to make a strong comeback in the second Test.

“We look after each other. There’s plenty of games where the batters drag us out of sticky situations and likewise, we do the opposite. So yeah, it’s such a great bunch. We get on really well. We challenge each other. We will stick firm; I think we are still the no.1 ranked side in the world, so this week doesn’t change that.”

India's dominant win at Perth has set the wheels in motion for the tourists. But they must brace themselves to face the hosts in the upcoming day/night Test at Adelaide starting on December 6. Australia are yet to be beaten in a D/N Test and India will have to be at the top of their mark once again to negate the impending threat. 

See also: Watch: Jasprit Bumrah gets a special name from Aussie commentators

The Indian management has made a baffling move ahead of the Perth Test by dropping R Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja from the playing eleven. Previous media reports hinted that both Ashwin and Jadeja were all but certain to feature in the first Test of the BGT series. But those assumptions have now been put to rest once and for all when the management decided to instead go with Washington Sundar who will play the role of a spin-bowling all-rounder. 

Pace has been a go-to mantra for India ahead of the Test series. The think tank is very much aware of what the Perth deck has to offer and has sorted out their team combinations accordingly. As fate would have it, India have been gone with two specialist seamers in the form of Bumrah and Siraj while seam-bowling all-rounders Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy earned their debut caps for India in the longest format.

So why did Ashwin and Jadeja miss out on the first Test?

Experts believe that the move to drop Ashwin and Jadeja was certainly justified. On a pacy and bounce-friendly Perth pitch, going with an all-out pace attack seemed like a sensible approach. Moreover, with only a few left-handers in the Australian lineup, the decision to play Jadeja would have turned futile. It all boiled down to either Ashwin or Sundar and the management was faced with making a tough call. Sundar, being more capable with the bat as opposed to Ashwin got the green signal from the Indian think tank.

Sundar has previously toured Australia in the 202-21 BGT Test series where he starred both with the bat and the ball finishing the series on a high with gutsy contributions to his name. He averaged 42 with the bat with a best score of 62 and ended up taking four wickets at an average of just over 40. 

India to bat first in the Perth Test 

India's stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah won the toss earlier in the day and chose to bat first. His expected to lead the side in the absense of Rohit Sharma who is likely to join the squad in the middle of the Test match. At the time of writing, India had lost their top three thanks to some immaculate bowling from Australian quicks. Kl Rahul is currently battling it out with his side reduced to 40-3 after 20 overs.

See also: What to expect from Perth pitch? Explained

The 0-3 whitewash at home against the Black Caps has raised alarm bells within the BCCI administration, compelling them to revisit their 'A' program which involves bolstering their bench strength for the top-tier Indian team. As per a recent report from TOI, National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman is reportedly devising a strategy to create a player resource pool.

The 'A' program worked as a charm under the supervision of former India head coach Rahul Dravid who used to tour with developmental teams throughout the year thereby offering the highest degree of exposure to young budding India cricketers. 

The issues surrounding the 'A' program in the past

The 'A' program suffered a setback in the past following the advent of the Covid pandemic. These A tours presented a huge financial burden on the other boards as they refrained from sponsoring the India U-19 series and 'A' teams. Despite the pressing challenges, BCCI made concise efforts to organize a couple of shadow 'A' tours like the one that preceded India's Test tour of Australia. 

"Other boards have communicated to the BCCI that they can't bear the expenses of an 'A' tour. The BCCI has still tried to organize a couple of shadow 'A' tours like the one which precedes India's Test tour of Australia. Laxman is working on it to come up with a plan that will offer greater exposure to the next generation of cricketers," a source said.

The major reason behind several boards' reluctance to host the 'A' tours vastly stems from the financial implications. These tours do not generate any revenue and all the expenses have to be incurred by the local boards which makes the 'A' program a highly unsustainable prospect in the long run.  Laxman will have a tricky task at hand and needs to find a viable solution to make these tours more affordable. 

A look into India's most recent 'A' tour

India featured in an 'A' series earlier this year against the England Lions prior to the start of the five-match Test series against England. That series offered an all-round view to the selectors on the players' current standing which in turn provided a baseline for them to make suitable selections ahead of the competitive Test series. 

Moreover, the 'A' program also came into focus in India's previous BGT outing down under where the likes of Siraj, Thaku, Saini, and Sundar all of whom stepped up in the absence of senior players. These players were the by-product of the 'A' series that was scheduled just before the start of the series. On the back of some formidable performances in the 'A' series, these budding youngsters were able to book their place in the Indian playing Xl which subsequently triumphed under dire conditions to clinch the series by 2-1.  

See also: Nitish Reddy included in Ravi Shastri's playing Xl in the upcoming Perth Test

Former India National Cricket Team head coach Ravi Shastri has made some striking revelations in his playing Xl as India gears up to face off against Australia in the first Test in Perth. The commentator-turned-coach recently made his India playing XI public just before the start of the much-anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. 

Ravi Shastri's predicted XI (in Rohit Sharma's absence): Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja/Washington Sundar, Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.

Nitish Reddy set to make his red-bal debut for India

Shastri claims that pace-bowling all-rounder Nitish Reddy has every possibility of making his maiden Test appearance for India in the first BGT Test. As per Shastri, the aspiring all-rounder can be seen as a highly useful commodity and who can play a valuable supporting role along with three primary pacers Bumrah, Siraj & Akash Deep on pacey Australian decks. Moreover, the former India head coach holds a strong opinion on Nitish Reddy and feels that he can replicate a part of what Shardul managed to achieve in the earlier BGT Test series. 

"I think the three I would pick straight away is Aakash Deep, (Mohammed) Siraj, and Bumrah and then they (selectors) have to see the balance. Do they want two spinners? Do they want to risk going in with two spinners or do they want to take Nitesh Reddy? Nitesh Reddy will have to do a job like Shardul Thakur did as the fourth seamer."

Ravi Shastri further stressed including one spin bowling all-rounder in the form of Washington or Jadeja and refrain from the risk of fielding two frontline spinners.

Shastri throws light on bolstering India's batting department   

With Rohit's absence from the first Test becoming increasingly likely with every passing day, India needs an astute batter to support Jaiswal and Gill at the top. In order to facilitate this change, Shastri advises Gill to move down the order to number 3. The management will have to then take a bold call to either select KL Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran who have been originally drafted into the squad as designated openers. 

"That's a tough one and selectors have a choice. You can push Shubman (Gill) back up the order and he has opened in the past in Australia. Otherwise, you'll have to then make an alternative. Easwaran hasn't done that well (for India A in Australia). But it's how he's batting in the nets, how Rahul is batting in the nets. But that Shubman Gill option is also there."

Moreover, in Shastri's view, India's top-order wicket-keeper batter Dhruv Jurel can come in as a frontline batter who can be handy with his keeping skills. Although Pant has permanently sealed the spot of the wicket-keeper batsman, Jurel has demonstrated tremendous maturity with the bat in recent times.  

See also: Virat Kohli undergoes scan: Reports

India cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and his wife, Ritika Sajdeh, confirmed the birth of their second child in the form of a baby boy on Friday, November 15. Being parents to their daughter Sumaira who was born in 2018, the couple is yet to officially make this delightful news public to the fans. The couple had managed to keep Ritika’s pregnancy under secrecy for an extended period of time. 

The news only managed to break out when uncertainty surrounding Rohit's participation in the Perth Test began gaining traction. Rohit opted for a paternity break to celebrate the arrival of his baby boy on this auspicious moment. However, the name of the new baby boy is yet to be ascertained at this stage. As Rohit is expected to be away with his family on this momentous occasion, there are doubts about whether or not the Indian skipper will be ready in time to lead his side ahead of the first Test.

Rohit puts in the hard yards at the nets

Despite missing the training sessions in Australia due to the birth of his newborn child, Rohit remains committed to his game. While his entire brigade is away playing intra-squad matches in Australia, the 38-year-old was seen practicing tirelessly in the nets in Mumbai and looks more than determined to keep himself match-ready in case he gets a chance to make himself available for the all-important BGT Test series.

However, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir in a recent press conference confessed that he is doubtful regarding Rohit's participation in the Perth Test but remains optimistic about his availability for the remainder of the Test series. But it has also come to light that Rohit may just be available on time for the first Test if things go according to play back home and BCCI is leaving no stone unturned to make the Indian skipper's availability a seamless affair. 

Rohit's poor Test run in recent times 

Being a genuine match-winner and a hero to the nation, the Indian skipper has come under immense fire following the conclusion of the Test series against the Black Caps at home which resulted in a shocking 0-3 whitewash. Not only did his poor captaincy skills come under the scanner, Rohit's inability to dominate spin and pace also came to the fore which has since raised alarm bells on his woeful form ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. 

In that series, Rohit averaged barely 16 and only managed to surpass fifty once in six innings. Moreover, the former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also came hard on him in the aftermath of the New Zealand Test series advising him to give up the entire captaincy in case if he wished to remain unavailable for the series opener. If that were to happen, India's vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah would take over the captaincy role in Rohit's absence.

Despite his poor run, Rohit's experience is surely invaluable in such hostile conditions and to not have him for the first Test could pose significant challenges to India who fighting hard to stay alive in the WTC final race.  But the joy of welcoming a new life takes precedence over national duties fans will be curious to see how the living Indian legend goes about balancing his family responsibilities with his cricketing commitments during this make-or-break Test series.

See also: Ritika Sajdeh salutes Aaron Finch's support for Rohit Sharma amidst criticism