Prem Panicker returns to his home ground -- Rediff.com -- for the Border Gavaskar Trophy series.

Reddy, rookie speedster Harshit Rana, Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna and Dhruv Jurel are on their maiden Test tour to Australia.

The 55th International Film Festival of India kicked off in India's party venue, Goa, and the stars added to the dazzle.

Rohit is on a paternity break and will miss the series-opener. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is captaining the Indian team in his absence.

The blockbuster series will be a survival of the fittest as Australia look to avenge successive losses on home soil when they go head-to-head from Friday.

Bumrah also said that the team has finalised its playing XI although he will reveal it only at the toss.

'The ball is different, the wicket is different. But I think we know that. I think we are ready mentally.'

The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.

India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth

This period saw big stars of the likes of Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev fade into the sunset while it was witness to the birth of slew of young Indian cricketers that made their mark home and abroad.

Rain is expected to influence the first morning of play on Friday, with a 25% chance of showers forecast.

Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.

History has not seen a cricketing rivalry as fierce as this this century, every ball bowled every run taken, coming with no quarter given. Ahead of India's five Test tour of Australia, Norma Astrid Godinho/Rediff.com takes a walk down memory lane, recounting India's sojourns Down Under from 1947 to 2021, in a 4-part series.

Germany beat Canada 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the Davis Cup semi-finals where they will face the Netherlands who advanced with a stunning upset of hosts Spain.

India and China have agreed to work towards a "roadmap" for rebuilding mutual trust following the border standoff in eastern Ladakh, according to a statement from the Indian Defence Ministry. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun in Vientiane, Laos, on the sidelines of a regional security conclave. Singh called for drawing lessons from the "unfortunate border clashes" of 2020 and emphasized the need for cooperation rather than conflict. Both sides agreed to work towards a roadmap for rebuilding mutual trust and understanding, and a meeting of the Special Representatives and Secretary-Vice Minister mechanism will also take place soon.

Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.

They'll wait to make a call with him up until the morning of the Test match, said India's bowling coach Morne Morkel.

'I am pretty happy that Puj (Pujara) isn't here.'

'I think he's got the technique, he's got the patience to partner up with Uzzy (Khawaja) to allow himself to score big.'

There'll be some deterioration, grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce, but in terms of big snake WACA cracks, unfortunately I don't think the weather is going to get us there, says pitch curator Isaac McDonald.

The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.

'What is the use of talent if that player plays so many Tests and averages below 35 after a few years of being in the Indian team?'

'You can only break through the doors or force the selectors to pick you for the Indian team by scoring runs consistently in domestic cricket and that is what he has done in the last so many years.'

Before the IPL Auction 2025, Rediff.com delves into the top 10 most expensive players in IPL history, exploring their impact on the game and the factors that have made them so valuable.

Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.

The 2-2 draw in Riffa left Australia second in Asia's Group C on seven points, nine behind runaway leaders Japan and one ahead of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and China.

Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?

Japan's march to the 2026 World Cup continued on Tuesday as Hajime Moriyasu's side handed China a 3-1 defeat in Xiamen while Iran eked out a late 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan and South Korea were held to a 1-1 draw by Palestine.

With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.

Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.

Bumrah who would lead his side in the first Test, said that Team India are banking on self-belief and they are having the conversation in the team.

Shubman Gill's thumb fracture is certainly a "jolt" for India ahead of the series opener against Australia

The world No. 2 India are heading into the five-Test Border-Gavaskar series, starting in Perth on Friday, following their whitewash at home, which ended their 12-year unbeaten run in their own backyard.

Former all-rounder Shane Watson has advised the Australian team to avoid getting into confrontations with Virat Kohli in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has urged the Aussie pace attack to target Virat Kohli's front pad and body in order to get him out in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Healy believes the Australian quicks should exploit any insecurity in Kohli's form, which has been inconsistent in recent months. He suggests targeting Kohli's front pad with seam deliveries and then resorting to "body bashing" if the first tactic fails.

Not since the golden era of the West Indies in the 1970s has a touring pace bowler struck fear into the hearts of Australians as much as Jasprit Bumrah.

Hailed as one of Indian cricket's brightest young talents, Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a dazzling start to his Test career.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has nothing but respect for India's batting great Virat Kohli.

Shafali Verma managed just 108 runs in six matches this year with 33 being the highest.

Glimpses from Team India's nets in Perth on Tuesday.