Australia skipper Pat Cummins said that he produced a ‘dream ball’, the outcome of which was even unknown to him, to get rid of Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam on Day 2 of their Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Rahul, who had made a century at this very venue exactly two years ago in the 2021 Boxing Day Test match, was lauded by Rathour as India's "crisis man" for his pristine touch and strokeplay.
The visitors removed Travis Head (17), Marnus Labuschagne (63), Alex Carey (four), Mitchell Starc (nine), Mitchell Marsh (41) and Pat Cummins (13), and Nathan Lyon (eight) on the second morning.
Last week, Khawaja spoke about how the Israel-Hamas conflict had affected him. "When I'm looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that's what hit me the hardest," he said.
India are seeking a first Test series win in South Africa and Conrad says his side are desperate to uphold their record of never having lost to the tourists on home soil.
Australia's Mitchell Starc said that his team was surprised at Pakistan's lack of pace, though he added that pace wasn't the "be-all and end-all" to fast bowling.
Khawaja has been denied permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the second Test against Pakistan.
Showers and potential thunderstorms are expected for the first day of play but are forecast to clear by Wednesday afternoon and Cummins said he was confident of a result.
Australia's all-formats hero’s IPL windfall, however, has not shifted his continued prioritisation of the longest format as the left-armer reiterated his desire to play every Test this summer.
Australia work their way through West Indies for a victory that keeps the Frank Worrell Trophy in their possession for 20 unbroken years, stretching back to the triumph of Mark Taylor's team in the Caribbean in 1995.
All players in the Indian cricket team will have to undergo a fitness test on June 06 at Kolkata before leaving for Bangladesh to play a Test and three one-day international matches.
