Yash Bajaj

New Delhi, Delhi, India

The latest ICC Men’s ODI Rankings was released on Wednesday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who is the stand-in skipper for the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, climbed up to the 13th spot. Batter Shreyas Iyer, after hitting back-to-back fifties in the first 2 ODIs vs West Indies, has jumped to joint-54th place in the rankings for the batters. Virat Kohli (fifth) and regular skipper Rohit Sharma (sixth) have dropped one spot each in the rankings. ,Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, is the only batter currently ranked in the top three across all international cricket formats by the ICC. The 27-year-old - the No. 1 batter in ODIs and T20Is - jumped to the No. 3 spot in the Test rankings for the first time in his 41-match career. The Test century in the first game against Sri Lanka in Galle helped him reach a career-best rating of 874 points. England's Joe Root and Australia's Marnus Labuschagne hold the top 2 positions in the Test rankings, with India's Rishabh Pant at No. 5. Pakistan's Abdullah Shafique, on the other hand, jumped 23 spots to No. 16 with 671 rating points. Also Read: KL Rahul to miss West Indies T20Is after testing COVID positive: Report,Coming to Test bowlers' table, Shaheen Shah Afridi jumped to the 3rd spot following his four-wicket haul in the first innings of the first Test vs Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's Prabath Jayasuriya, who took 21 wickets in his first two Tests vs Pakistan, has climbed to the 44th position among Test bowlers. ,Also Read: Indian women's cricket team's journey to medal in Commonwealth Games 2022,A look at the top 3 in every format - ,Batters,Tests: Joe Root, Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam,ODIs: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Rassie van der Dussen,T20Is: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Aiden Markram,Bowlers,Tests: Pat Cummins, R Ashwin, Shaheen Shah Afridi,ODIs: Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi,T20Is: Josh Hazlewood, Adil Rashid, Tabraiz Shamsi,Allrounders,Tests: Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Shakib Al Hasan,ODIs: Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan,T20Is: Mohammad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali

{\"time\":1658936453301,\"strCount\":3020,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The latest <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/icc/\\\">ICC</a> Men’s ODI Rankings was released on Wednesday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, who is the stand-in skipper for the ongoing ODI series against West Indies, climbed up to the 13th spot. Batter&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/who-is-shreyas-iyer-the-man-behind-indias-rescue-act-in-first-t20-against-england-448088/\\\">Shreyas Iyer</a>, after hitting back-to-back fifties in the first 2 ODIs vs West Indies, has jumped to joint-54th place in the rankings for the batters.&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/virat-kohli-says-he-is-ready-to-do-anything-to-win-2022-asia-cup-and-t20-world-cup-708388/\\\">Virat Kohli</a>&nbsp;(fifth) and regular skipper Rohit Sharma (sixth) have dropped one spot each in the rankings.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/india-vs-pakistan-a-look-at-babar-azams-t20-records-401649/\\\">Babar Azam</a>, the captain of&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/pakistan/\\\">Pakistan</a>, is the only batter currently ranked in the top three across all international cricket formats by the ICC. The 27-year-old - the No. 1 batter in ODIs and T20Is - jumped to the No. 3 spot in the Test rankings for the first time in his 41-match career. The&nbsp;Test century in the first game against Sri Lanka&nbsp;in Galle&nbsp; helped him reach a career-best rating of 874 points.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"England's&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/joe-root-gets-to-test-century-no-28-key-stats-694234/\\\">Joe Root</a>&nbsp;and Australia's Marnus Labuschagne hold the top 2 positions in the Test rankings, with India's Rishabh Pant at No. 5. Pakistan's&nbsp;Abdullah Shafique, on the other hand, jumped 23 spots to No. 16 with 671 rating points.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/kl-rahul-to-miss-west-indies-t20is-after-testing-covid-positive-report-710924/\\\">KL Rahul to miss West Indies T20Is after testing </a><a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/covid/\\\">COVID</a> positive: Report\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Coming to&nbsp;Test bowlers' table, Shaheen Shah Afridi jumped to the 3rd spot following his&nbsp;four-wicket haul in the first innings of the first Test vs Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's&nbsp;Prabath Jayasuriya, who took 21 wickets in his first two Tests vs Pakistan, has climbed to the 44th position among Test bowlers.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/indian-womens-cricket-teams-journey-to-medal-in-commonwealth-games-2022-709570/\\\">Indian women's cricket team's journey to medal in Commonwealth Games 2022</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>A look at the top 3 in every format - </b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Batters</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Tests: Joe Root, Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"ODIs: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Rassie van der Dussen\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"T20Is: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Aiden Markram\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Bowlers</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Tests: Pat Cummins, R Ashwin, Shaheen Shah Afridi\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"ODIs: Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"T20Is: Josh Hazlewood, Adil Rashid, Tabraiz Shamsi\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Allrounders</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Tests: Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Shakib Al Hasan\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"ODIs: Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"T20Is: Mohammad Nabi, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Opener Shikhar climbed up to the 13th spot in the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings</li>
  <li>Batter Shreyas Iyer jumped to joint-54th place in the rankings</li>
  <li>Virat Kohli (fifth) and regular skipper Rohit Sharma (sixth) have dropped one spot each</li>
</ul>

Opoyi Central

ICC men’s ODI rankings: Shikhar Dhawan jumps places, Virat Kohli fifth

ShikharDhawan

RohitSharma

Cricket

BabarAzam

WestIndies

ShakibAlHasan

MarnusLabuschagne

Pakistan

MohammadNabi

IndiaNews

Australia

RishabhPant

IndianCricketTeam

India

KLRahul

Covid

SriLanka

JoeRoot

Sports

Abhinav Dutta

Galle, Sri Lanka

Prabath Jayasuriya spun a web around Australian batters over two innings of controlled left-arm spin as Sri Lanka levelled the two-match test series one apiece. Handed a debut after a slew of Covid cases ruled out pacer Asitha Fernando and spin bowling pair Jeffrey Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama, the 30-year-old grabbed his chance thrillingly. In the first innings, his languid spell of 6/118 helped keep the visitors' score to a manageable 364. With scalps Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, he was the pick of the lot. Also Read: Who is Prabath Jayasuriya?,Sri Lanka piled on the runs in response. Helmed by a many-faced double century by Dinesh Chandimal, with handy contributions from their top-order, the islanders had a 190-run lead to boot. On a rapidly fraying Galle pitch- further bedevilled by Pat Cummins and Starc's footmarks- Jayasuriya was unplayable almost. Settling into a rhythm, he soon began to seed doubts in the visiting batters. It wouldn't be long before he ran through the Australian batting spine. Snaring the in-form Usman Khawaja before dismissing first-inning centurions, Steve Smith (for a duck) and Labuschagne-both caught plumb in front- the Jayasuriya juggernaut rolled on. Also Read: Watch: Galle International Stadium roof damaged by heavy rains and storm,He would add three more to his tally, removing Green and Starc in the same over, before closing out the Australia innings by knocking over Mitchell Swepson's stumps. With six-fers in both innings, the Matale Mauler did with the ball what the more illustrious Matara Mauler- Sanath Jayasuriya- would do with the bat. His match figures of 12/177 are the fourth-best for a debutant and the best for a Sri Lankan on debut. Safely ensconced within the top five for debut match figures in test cricket, we list the other four names that make up this motley group: ,1. Narendra Hirwani (India): 16/136 vs West Indies, Chennai 1988. ,2. Bob Massie (Australia): 16/137 vs England, Lord's 1972. ,3. Fred Martin (England): 12/102 vs Australia, The Oval 1890. ,5. Jason Krejza (Australia): 12/358 vs India, Nagpur 2008. Also Read: India docked two WTC points for slow over-rate, slip to fourth in list behind Pakistan,Impressive on debut, Jayasuriya will be keen on avoiding the fates experienced by those above and just below him on the list. Hirwani's career tapered after a bright start. Dropped from his state XI- Western Australia- soon after his Lord's mastery, Massie found more success as a radio commentator. Fred Martin curiously did not play beyond his two tests but could at least console himself with a bowling average of 10.07. Jason Krejza was cannon-fodder for Indian batters throughout the Nagpur test. He was among Australia's spin-bowling musical chairs as the selectors sought Shane Warne's replacement. They would eventually stumble on once-groundstaff Nathan Lyon.

{\"time\":1657548156466,\"strCount\":3744,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Prabath Jayasuriya spun a web around Australian batters over two innings of controlled left-arm spin as Sri Lanka levelled the two-match test series one apiece. Handed a debut after a slew of Covid cases ruled out pacer Asitha Fernando and spin bowling pair Jeffrey Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama, the 30-year-old grabbed his chance thrillingly. In the first innings, his languid spell of 6/118 helped keep the visitors' score to a manageable 364. With scalps <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/marnuslabuschagne/\\\">Marnus Labuschagne</a>, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/mitchellstarc/\\\">Mitchell Starc</a> and Nathan Lyon, he was the pick of the lot.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">12 wickets for Prabath Jayasuriya as ?? won by an innings and 39 runs in the final Test in Galle ? <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> Test series finishes 1-1 ? <a href=\\\"https://t.co/55P9S96WqZ\\\">pic.twitter.com/55P9S96WqZ</a></p>&mdash; Sri Lanka Cricket ?? (@OfficialSLC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/OfficialSLC/status/1546458363374014465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">12 wickets for Prabath Jayasuriya as ?? won by an innings and 39 runs in the final Test in Galle ? <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> Test series finishes 1-1 ? <a href=\\\"https://t.co/55P9S96WqZ\\\">pic.twitter.com/55P9S96WqZ</a></p>&mdash; Sri Lanka Cricket ?? (@OfficialSLC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/OfficialSLC/status/1546458363374014465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/who-is-prabath-jayasuriya-698636/\\\">Who is Prabath Jayasuriya?</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sri Lanka piled on the runs in response. Helmed by a many-faced double century by Dinesh Chandimal, with handy contributions from their top-order, the islanders had a 190-run lead to boot. On a rapidly fraying Galle pitch- further bedevilled by <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/patcummins/\\\">Pat Cummins</a> and Starc's footmarks- Jayasuriya was unplayable almost. Settling into a rhythm, he soon began to seed doubts in the visiting batters. It wouldn't be long before he ran through the Australian batting spine. Snaring the in-form <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/usmankhawaja/\\\">Usman Khawaja</a> before dismissing first-inning centurions, <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/steve-smith-is-back-aussie-breaks-century-drought-in-first-test-vs-sri-lanka-696800/\\\">Steve Smith</a> (for a duck) and Labuschagne-both caught plumb in front- the Jayasuriya juggernaut rolled on.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/watch-galle-international-stadium-roof-damaged-by-heavy-rains-and-storm-691392/\\\">Watch: Galle International Stadium roof damaged by heavy rains and storm</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He would add three more to his tally, removing Green and Starc in the same over, before closing out the Australia innings by knocking over Mitchell Swepson's stumps. With six-fers in both innings, the Matale Mauler did with the ball what the more illustrious Matara Mauler- Sanath Jayasuriya- would do with the bat. His match figures of 12/177 are the fourth-best for a debutant and the best for a Sri Lankan on debut.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">10 wicket haul on a debut ✔️<br>Best figures by a Sri Lankan on a debut ✔️<br><br>Dream debut for Prabath Jayasuriya ?<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/BeAg9pMZNv\\\">pic.twitter.com/BeAg9pMZNv</a></p>&mdash; Sri Lanka Cricket ?? (@OfficialSLC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/OfficialSLC/status/1546462179225833473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">10 wicket haul on a debut ✔️<br>Best figures by a Sri Lankan on a debut ✔️<br><br>Dream debut for Prabath Jayasuriya ?<a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/BeAg9pMZNv\\\">pic.twitter.com/BeAg9pMZNv</a></p>&mdash; Sri Lanka Cricket ?? (@OfficialSLC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/OfficialSLC/status/1546462179225833473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Safely ensconced within the top five for debut match figures in test cricket, we list the other four names that make up this motley group: \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"1. Narendra Hirwani (India): 16/136 vs West Indies, Chennai 1988. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"2. Bob Massie (Australia): 16/137 vs England, Lord's 1972. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"3. Fred Martin (England): 12/102 vs Australia, The Oval 1890. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"5. Jason Krejza (Australia): 12/358 vs India, Nagpur 2008.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/wires/presstrustofindia/india-docked-two-wtc-points-for-slow-over-rate-slip-to-fourth-in-list-behind-pakistan-694443/\\\">India docked two WTC points for slow over-rate, slip to fourth in list behind Pakistan</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">Prabath Jayasuriya joins a rare group of cricketers! <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/nxzUF6NmXV\\\">pic.twitter.com/nxzUF6NmXV</a></p>&mdash; cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1546466332488503297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">Prabath Jayasuriya joins a rare group of cricketers! <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">#SLvAUS</a> <a href=\\\"https://t.co/nxzUF6NmXV\\\">pic.twitter.com/nxzUF6NmXV</a></p>&mdash; cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1546466332488503297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">July 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Impressive on debut, Jayasuriya will be keen on avoiding the fates experienced by those above and just below him on the list. Hirwani's career tapered after a bright start. Dropped from his state XI- Western Australia- soon after his Lord's mastery, Massie found more success as a radio commentator. Fred Martin curiously did not play beyond his two tests but could at least console himself with a bowling average of 10.07. Jason Krejza was cannon-fodder for Indian batters throughout the Nagpur test. He was among Australia's spin-bowling musical chairs as the selectors sought <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/shane-warne-dies-at-52-tributes-pour-in-474885/\\\">Shane Warne's</a> replacement. They would eventually stumble on once-groundstaff <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/australian-spinner-nathan-lyon-targets-500-test-wickets-210358/\\\">Nathan Lyon</a>.  \"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Prabath Jayasuriya's 12/177 downed Australia by an innings and 39 runs</li>
  <li>It is the best debut figures for a Sri Lankan bowler</li>
  <li>The 30-year-old also registers the fourth-best match figures for a debutant &nbsp;</li>
</ul>

The Matale Mauler: Prabath Jayasuriya registers fourth-best match figures for a debutant

WorldTestChampionship

SriLankaCricketTeam

AustralianCricketTeam

SteveSmith

PatCummins

NathanLyon

MitchellStarc

Steve Smith took nearly 18 months to get past Virat Kohli's Test century tally as the Australia maestro finished Day 1 of the first Test vs Sri Lanka at 109 runs. The 33-year-old, who last scored a 100 in 2021, brought up ton No 28 as his side was 298/5 at stumps. ,Kohli, who has not reached the three-figure mark since November 2019, has 27 Test tons against his name. Smith and former England captain Joe Root have 28. ,In the 84th over, Smith smashed Rajitha through extra cover for a boundary to bring up a milestone hundred. His teammates in the dressing room cheered as the batter took off his helmet to greet the crowd at the Galle International Stadium, Galle. Alex Carey, who was batting at the other end, gave the former Australia skipper a warm hug. ,Also read: Watch: Bhuvneshwar Kumar cleans in-form Buttler with an 'absolute peach',Smith was unbeaten at 109 off 212 balls with the help of 14 boundaries before play was called off for the day. The 33-year-old, who has played most of his cricket on the bouncy Australian tracks, now has five hundreds and eight fifties in16 Test matches in Asia. His average in the format reached 60 with 8100 runs. Smith became the third fastest player after Don Bradman (72 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (144 innings) to reach 28 Test hundreds. He achieved the feat in 153 innings. ,Most centuries by active Test players:,Steve Smith - 28* (87 matches),Joe Root - 28 (121 matches),Virat Kohli - 27 (102 matches),Kane Williamson - 24 (88 matches),David Warner - 24 (96 matches),Steve Smith's protege, Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile made 104 runs in 156 deliveries before he was stumped off Prabath Jayasuriya's ball. Darren Lehmann in 2004 had been the last Australian batsman to score a hundred at the spinner friendly turning tracks in Galle International Stadium. Also Read: ‘Go and sit on a beach’: Michael Vaughan believes a sabbatical will help Virat Kohli,Labuschagne, who was given a life on 28 when Niroshan Dickwella missed a stumping chance off Ramesh Mendis, posted his seventh test hundred and the first overseas. ,The pair added 134 runs for the third wicket in 223 deliveries as Australia consolidated its position. ,Sri Lanka was forced to make four changes to the team that lost the first test by 10 wickets after four players tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game. Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando and Praveen Jayawickrama were all isolated after they tested positive. Also read: India squad for WI ODIs: BCCI picks Shikhar Dhawan as captain, Ravindra Jadeja as deputy,The hosts handed test debuts to Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana and Jayasuriya while Kasun Rajitha returned to the side after missing the first test. Australia went with an unchanged side. Theekshana, who troubled the Australians during the limited overs series, failed to pick up a wicket but he kept one end tight, something that Sri Lanka lacked in the first test. His 15 overs cost just 45 runs.

{\"time\":1657285863095,\"strCount\":3771,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/steve-smith-celebrates-10-years-of-test-cricket-with-a-throwback-picture-on-instagram-113994/\\\">Steve Smith</a> took nearly 18 months to get past Virat Kohli's Test century tally as the <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/australia/\\\">Australia</a> maestro finished Day 1 of the first Test vs Sri Lanka at 109 runs. The 33-year-old, who last scored a 100 in 2021, brought up ton No 28 as his side was 298/5 at stumps.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kohli, who has not reached the three-figure mark since November 2019, has 27 Test tons against his name. Smith and former <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/england/\\\">England</a> captain<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/joe-root-with-28th-test-century-passes-virat-kohli-steve-smiths-tally-694141/\\\"> Joe Root</a> have 28.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In the 84th over, Smith smashed Rajitha through extra cover for a boundary to bring up a milestone hundred. His teammates in the dressing room cheered as the batter took off his helmet to greet the crowd at the Galle International Stadium, Galle. Alex Carey, who was batting at the other end, gave the former Australia skipper a warm hug.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/watch-indias-bhuvneshwar-kumar-cleans-an-in-form-jos-buttler-with-an-absolute-peach-696343/\\\">Watch: Bhuvneshwar Kumar cleans in-form Buttler with an 'absolute peach'</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith was unbeaten at 109 off 212 balls with the help of 14 boundaries before play was called off for the day. The 33-year-old, who has played most of his cricket on the bouncy Australian tracks,&nbsp;now has five hundreds and eight fifties in16 Test matches in <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/asia/\\\">Asia</a>. His average in the format reached 60 with 8100 runs.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith&nbsp;became the third fastest player after Don Bradman (72 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (144 innings) to reach 28 Test hundreds. He achieved the feat in 153 innings.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Most centuries by active Test players:\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Steve Smith - 28* (87 matches)\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Joe Root - 28 (121 matches)\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Virat Kohli - 27 (102 matches)\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kane Williamson - 24 (88 matches)\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"David Warner - 24 (96 matches)\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Steve Smith's protege, Marnus Labuschagne, meanwhile made 104 runs in 156 deliveries before he was stumped off&nbsp;Prabath Jayasuriya's ball.&nbsp;Darren Lehmann in 2004 had been the last Australian batsman to score a hundred at the spinner friendly turning tracks in Galle International Stadium.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/go-and-sit-on-a-beach-michael-vaughan-believes-a-sabbatical-will-help-virat-kohli-696148/\\\">‘Go and sit on a beach’: Michael Vaughan believes a sabbatical will help Virat Kohli</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Labuschagne, who was given a life on 28 when Niroshan Dickwella missed a stumping chance off Ramesh Mendis, posted his seventh test hundred and the first overseas.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The pair added 134 runs for the third wicket in 223 deliveries as Australia consolidated its position.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sri Lanka was forced to make four changes to the team that lost the first test by 10 wickets after four players tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game. Dhananjaya de Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando and Praveen Jayawickrama were all isolated after they tested positive.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/india-squad-for-wi-odis-bcci-picks-shikhar-dhawan-as-captain-ravindra-jadeja-as-deputy-695029/\\\">India squad for WI ODIs: BCCI picks Shikhar Dhawan as captain, Ravindra Jadeja as deputy</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The hosts handed test debuts to Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana and Jayasuriya while Kasun Rajitha returned to the side after missing the first test. Australia went with an unchanged side.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Theekshana, who troubled the Australians during the limited overs series, failed to pick up a wicket but he kept one end tight, something that Sri Lanka lacked in the first test. His 15 overs cost just 45 runs.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Steve Smith scored an unbeaten 109 off 212 balls on Day 1 of the first Test vs Sri Lanka</li>
  <li>Smith&nbsp;became the third fastest player to reach 28 Test tons</li>
  <li>Australia were 298/5 at stumps</li>
</ul>

Steve Smith is back: Aussie breaks century drought in first Test vs Sri Lanka

England

Asia

DonBradman

SachinTendulkar

MaheeshTheekshana

World

Andrew McDonald will be ready for his first outing as head coach as Australia tour Sri Lanka for 3 T20Is, 5 ODIs, and 2 Test matches in June and July 2022. A total of 34 players were named on Friday for the all-format matches. Star players David Warner, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc are back in the white-ball squad after missing the recent series in Pakistan. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be missing the entire series due to the impending birth of his first child. Pat Cummins, who will be leading the side in Tests, will sit out the T20 matches. Marcus Harris was not named in the 16-man test squad. Australia A will play four Tests in Hambantota from June 8 to June 24. “It’s incredibly exciting to have an Australia A component which offers the further flexibility and opportunity for players to be available for and cross over into all squads,” said selection chief George Bailey. ,“That could be from a test or white-ball preparation perspective or an opportunity to impress at an international level. Also Read: 7 missed calls from BCCI: Ravi Shastri recalls how he became India's team director,Australia squads:,Test: Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. ODI: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. Twenty20: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner,Also Read:Andrew Symonds blames ‘IPL money' for ‘poisoning’ his relationship with Michael Clarke,Australia tour of Sri Lanka:,June 7: 1st T20, Colombo,June 8: 2nd T20, Colombo,June 11: 3rd T20, Kandy. June 14: 1st ODI, Kandy,June 16: 2nd ODI, Kandy,June 19: 3rd ODI, Colombo,June 21: 4th ODI, Colombo,June 24: 5th ODI, Colombo,June 29-July 3: 1st test, Galle,July 8-12: 2nd test test, Galle,Australia A matches,June 8: 1st one-day game, Colombo,June 10: 2nd one-day game, Colombo,June 14-17: First-class tour match Hambantota,June 21-24: First-class tour match, Hambantota

{\"time\":1651199494721,\"strCount\":3158,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/who-is-andrew-mcdonald-261968/\\\">Andrew McDonald </a>will be ready for his first outing as head coach as Australia tour Sri Lanka for 3 T20Is, 5 ODIs, and 2 Test matches in June and July 2022. A total of 34 players were named on Friday for the all-format matches. Star players&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/world/who-is-david-warner-567197/\\\">David Warner</a>, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade,&nbsp;Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc are back in the&nbsp;white-ball squad after missing the recent series in <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/3rd-test-australias-steve-smith-left-fuming-after-buggy-cam-disrupts-concentration-vs-pakistan-watch-222512/\\\">Pakistan</a>.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be missing the entire series due to the impending birth of his first child. <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/pat-cummins-lauds-australias-batting-after-historic-test-series-win-vs-pakistan-215187/\\\">Pat Cummins</a>, who will be leading the side in Tests, will sit out the T20 matches. Marcus Harris was not named in the 16-man test squad.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia A will play four Tests&nbsp;in Hambantota from June 8 to June 24.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“It’s incredibly exciting to have an Australia A component which offers the further flexibility and opportunity for players to be available for and cross over into all squads,” said selection chief George Bailey. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“That could be from a test or white-ball preparation perspective or an opportunity to impress at an international level.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/7-missed-calls-from-bcci-ravi-shastri-recalls-how-he-became-indias-team-director-342543/\\\">7 missed calls from BCCI: Ravi Shastri recalls how he became India's team director</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Australia squads:</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Test: Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"ODI: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Twenty20: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/andrew-symonds-blames-ipl-money-for-poisoning-his-relationship-with-michael-clarke-430095/\\\">Andrew Symonds blames ‘IPL money' for ‘poisoning’ his relationship with Michael Clarke</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Australia tour of Sri Lanka:</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 7: 1st T20, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 8: 2nd T20, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 11: 3rd T20, Kandy.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 14: 1st ODI, Kandy\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 16: 2nd ODI, Kandy\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 19: 3rd ODI, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 21: 4th ODI, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 24: 5th ODI, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 29-July 3: 1st test, Galle\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"July 8-12: 2nd test test, Galle\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Australia A matches</b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 8: 1st one-day game, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 10: 2nd one-day game, Colombo\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 14-17: First-class tour match Hambantota\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"June 21-24: First-class tour match, Hambantota\"}}]}

Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan

<ul>
  <li>Leg-spinner Adam Zampa will be missing the entire series</li>
  <li>Marcus Harris was not named in the 16-man test squad</li>
  <li>Pat Cummins, who will be leading the side in Tests, will sit out the T20 matches</li>
</ul>

Steve Smith, David Warner back in Australia's white-ball squad for Sri Lanka tour

DavidWarner

AdamZampa

GlennMaxwell

JoshHazlewood

JhyeRichardson

AaronFinch

ScottBoland

UsmanKhawaja

KaneRichardson

JoshInglis

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Virat Kohli tops former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson's list of the best 5 batters in Test cricket despite his failure to score a century since November 2019. Watson picked former Team India skipper ahead of Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Babar Azam. In Test match cricket, I am always going to say Virat Kohli, Watson said in his latest episode of the ICC Review when asked who he thought is the best Test batter in the world. ,It's nearly superhuman, what he is able to do because he has such high intensity every time he goes out to play, Watson added. Also Read: IPL: PBKS skipper credits win against MI to 'aggressive, hard cricket',Kohli, who currently has a Test batting average of just under 50, is currently at the 10th spot on the ICC rankings. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries. Also Read: Five in a row: Mumbai Indians in trouble after defeat vs Punjab Kings,Speaking about Pakistan skipper Babar, who he has kept at number two, Watson noted, Babar Azam is playing incredibly well. (It's great) to be able to see how he has adapted his game to really move his game to Test cricket as well. Babar Azam would probably be No.2 at the moment. Also Read: bABby shower: Brevis turns beast, smashes Chahar for 4 sixes | Watch,Babar is currently ranked fifth on the ICC rankings. In Pakistan's recently concluded series against Australia, he hit a superb 196 during the second Test in Karachi and finished the series with a total of 390 runs. IPL 2022: Shivam Dube's 96 nothing less than a ton, says Virender Sehwag,About Watson's third best batter Smith, Watson said the Australian star has just started to come off a little bit. ,It looks like Smith has really started to play for time a little bit more and is not putting as much pressure on the bowlers as he did when was at his absolute best. For me, Steve has dropped down that list a little bit. ,Smith is second on the ICC rankings, with only Australian team-mate Marnus Labuschagne ranked ahead of him.

{\"time\":1649940168772,\"strCount\":2803,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ipl-2022-ms-dhoni-makes-last-minute-field-changes-to-bring-down-virat-kohli-watch-414628/\\\">Virat Kohli</a>&nbsp;tops former Australian all-rounder <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/ipl-2022-shane-watson-reveals-the-reasons-for-taking-up-coaching-role-with-delhi-capitals-257619/\\\">Shane Watson</a>'s list of the best 5 batters in Test cricket despite his&nbsp;failure to score a century since November 2019.&nbsp;Watson picked former Team India skipper ahead of&nbsp;Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Babar Azam.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"In Test match cricket, I am always going to say Virat Kohli,\\\" Watson said in his latest episode of the ICC Review when asked who he thought is the best Test batter in the world.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It's nearly superhuman, what he is able to do because he has such high intensity every time he goes out to play,\\\" Watson added.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ipl-punjab-kings-skipper-mayank-agarwal-credits-win-against-mumbai-indians-to-aggressive-hard-cricket-330742/\\\">IPL: PBKS skipper credits win against MI to 'aggressive, hard cricket'</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Kohli, who&nbsp;currently has a Test batting average of just under 50, is currently at the&nbsp;10th spot on the ICC rankings. He has scored 27 Test centuries and 28 half-centuries.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/ipl-2022-punjab-kings-beat-mumbai-indians-by-12-runs-600884/\\\">Five in a row: Mumbai Indians in trouble after defeat vs Punjab Kings</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Speaking about&nbsp;Pakistan skipper Babar, who he has kept at number two, Watson noted, \\\"Babar Azam is playing incredibly well.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"(It's great) to be able to see how he has adapted his game to really move his game to Test cricket as well. Babar Azam would probably be No.2 at the moment.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also Read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/babby-shower-mumbai-indians-dewald-brevis-blasts-four-consecutive-sixes-off-rahul-chahar-watch-321370/\\\">bABby shower: Brevis turns beast, smashes Chahar for 4 sixes | Watch</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Babar is currently ranked fifth on the ICC rankings. In Pakistan's recently concluded series against Australia, he hit a superb 196 during the second Test in Karachi and finished the series with a total of 390 runs.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ipl-2022-shivam-dubes-96-nothing-less-than-a-ton-says-virender-sehwag-257582/\\\">IPL 2022: Shivam Dube's 96 nothing less than a ton, says Virender Sehwag</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"About Watson's third best batter Smith, Watson said the Australian star \\\"has just started to come off a little bit.\\\" \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It looks like Smith has really started to play for time a little bit more and is not putting as much pressure on the bowlers as he did when was at his absolute best. For me, Steve has dropped down that list a little bit.\\\" \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith is second on the ICC rankings, with only Australian team-mate  Marnus Labuschagne ranked ahead of him.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Virat Kohli&nbsp;tops former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson's list of the best 5 batters in Test cricket</li>
  <li>Watson picked former Team India skipper ahead of&nbsp;Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Babar Azam</li>
  <li>Kohli is currently at the&nbsp;10th spot on the ICC rankings</li>
</ul>

Shane Watson names his 'Big 5' of Test Cricket and an Indian tops the list

ViratKohli

ShaneWatson

Karachi

KaneWilliamson

Lahore, Pakistan

Steve Smith, during his 59-run knock against Pakistan in the first innings of the third Test, surpassed the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakarra, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid to register most number of runs after 150 Tests. ,Australia are facing Pakistan in the series-decided in Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The three-match series, a part of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan in 24 year, is locked at 0-0. ,Also read: 3rd Test: Australia's Steve Smith left fuming after buggy cam disrupts concentration vs Pakistan | Watch,Smith has been in some form during the three matches. While the Aussie has not been able to register a single century, he has scored three fifties. The 32-year-old played knocks of 78 and 72 in the first two Tests before scoring 59 in the first innings of the third one. He faced 169 balls and hit six fours before he was undone by Naseem’s delivery, which came back sharply and hit the batter's knee in front of the stumps. During his stay at the crease, Smith reached a Test tally of 7,993 runs, which is more than what Kumar Sangakkara (7,913), Sachin Tendulkar (7,869), Virender Sehwag (7,694) and Rahul Dravid (7,680) scored in 150 games in the format. ,Also read: IPL 2022: Virat Kohli, off captaincy duty, has clarity on 'what I have to do' for Royal Challengers Bangalore,Smith came on the crease after David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne were dismissed early on Day 1. Batting first, Australia were reduced to 17/2. ,Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja (91 off 219 balls) then added 138 runs for the third wicket. After their dismissals, Pakistan picked some quick wickets. However, Alex Carey (69) and Cameron Green's (79) 135-run stand took the visitors to 391 runs in the first innings. ,Also read: India beat Bangladesh by 110 runs, keeps semifinals hopes alive,Skipper Pat Cummins led Australia in Pakistan's first innings. He dismissed opener Imam-ul-Haq (11) early. However, Abdullah Shafique (450 and Azhar Ali (30) showed determination and the hosts were 91/1 at stumps on Day 2.

{\"time\":1647975101275,\"strCount\":2675,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/stevesmith/\\\">Steve Smith</a>, during his 59-run knock against <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/pakistan/\\\">Pakistan</a> in the first innings of the third Test, surpassed the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakarra,&nbsp;Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid to register most number of runs after 150 Tests.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/australia/\\\">Australia</a> are facing Pakistan in the series-decided in Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The three-match series, a part of Australia’s&nbsp; first tour of Pakistan in 24 year, is locked at 0-0.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/3rd-test-australias-steve-smith-left-fuming-after-buggy-cam-disrupts-concentration-vs-pakistan-watch-222512/\\\">3rd Test: Australia's Steve Smith left fuming after buggy cam disrupts concentration vs Pakistan | Watch</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith has been in some form during the three matches. While the Aussie has not been able to register a single century, he has scored three fifties. The 32-year-old played knocks of 78 and 72 in the first two Tests before scoring 59 in the first innings of the third one. He faced 169 balls and hit six fours before he was undone by Naseem’s delivery, which came back sharply and hit the batter's knee in front of the stumps.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"During his stay at the crease, Smith reached a Test tally of&nbsp;7,993 runs, which is more than what&nbsp;Kumar Sangakkara (7,913),&nbsp;Sachin Tendulkar (7,869), Virender Sehwag (7,694) and Rahul Dravid (7,680) scored in 150 games in the format.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ipl-2022-virat-kohli-off-captaincy-duty-has-clarity-on-what-i-have-to-do-for-royal-challengers-bangalore-575825/\\\">IPL 2022: Virat Kohli, off captaincy duty, has clarity on 'what I have to do' for Royal Challengers Bangalore</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith came on the crease after David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne were dismissed early on Day 1. Batting first, Australia were reduced to 17/2.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja (91 off 219 balls) then added&nbsp;138 runs for the third wicket. After their dismissals, Pakistan picked some quick wickets. However,&nbsp;Alex Carey (69) and Cameron Green's (79) 135-run stand took the visitors to&nbsp;391 runs in the first innings.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/icc-womens-world-cup-india-beat-bangladesh-by-110-runs-keeps-semifinals-hopes-alive-318322/\\\">India beat Bangladesh by 110 runs, keeps semifinals hopes alive</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Skipper Pat Cummins led Australia in Pakistan's first innings. He dismissed opener&nbsp;Imam-ul-Haq (11) early. However,&nbsp;Abdullah Shafique (450 and Azhar Ali (30) showed determination and the hosts were 91/1 at stumps on Day 2.&nbsp;\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Steve Smith scored 59 runs in the first innings of the third Test vs Pakistan</li>
  <li>This was the Australian's third fifty in the three-match series</li>
  <li>Australia scored 391 runs in the first innings</li>
</ul>

Steve Smith pips Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid to achieve huge Test feat

PakistanCricketTeam

Lahore

RahulDravid

International

VirenderSehwag

Steve Smith, arguably Australia's best current Test batsman, on Monday was seen fuming after a buggy camera's movement disrupted his concentration in the third Test vs Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. ,Also read: IPL 2022: Ravichandran Ashwin 'hoping to make a difference' for Rajasthan Royals,Smith came out to bat early in the first session after the visitors chose to bat first in the series-decider. Australia were at eight runs for the loss of two wickets. David Warner (7) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) were the batsmen sent back to the pavilion by Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi. ,The former Australia skipper looked in fine touch from the first ball. However, in the 11th over, his concentration was disrupted when a buggy cam, placed at deep mid wicket, started to move . Hasan Ali was bowling at the time. ,Also read: IPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of Royal Challengers Bangalore,Stop moving, Smith exclaimed, as he gestured towards the person controlling the camera. ,Watch: ,Commentators Rob Key and Urooj Mumtaz were left in splits. ,Normally, a buggy cam at that angle does not disturb batsmen but the commentators said, it was due to Smith's peripheral vision that he tracked it. ,Also read: Spinners lead Pakistan women to 1st World Cup win in 13 years, beat West Indies by 8 wickets,“How he’s seen that I don’t know. I mean, it’s on the boundary at deep mid-wicket and he’s not happy ... it’s a good 100 yards away I’d say. Extraordinary,” Rob Key can be heard saying in the video. ,“I have never seen that before. One thing is for sure, Steve Smith has the best peripheral vision on the planet,” Urooj Mumtaz said. ,Smith (59) faced 169 balls and hit six fours before he was undone by Naseem’s delivery, which came back sharply and hit the batter's knee in front of the stumps. Also read: Modi lauds Aussie women's team game in meet with Morrison,Pakistan recovered from dropped catches to restrict Australia to 232-5 and deny Usman Khawaja a second consecutive century on Day 1 of the third and final Test. ,Fast bowler Naseem Shah, the only Pakistan change from the second drawn test at Karachi, picked up 2-36 to lead a fightback in the last session. Cameron Green was unbeaten on 20 and Alex Carey was not out on 8 when bad light stopped play two overs before the scheduled close.

{\"time\":1647869858759,\"strCount\":3064,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/stevesmith/\\\">Steve Smith</a>, arguably Australia's best current Test batsman, on Monday was seen fuming after a buggy camera's movement disrupted his concentration in the third Test vs <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/pakistan/\\\">Pakistan</a> at the&nbsp;Gaddafi Stadium in <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/lahore/\\\">Lahore</a>.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/ipl-2022-ravichandran-ashwin-hoping-to-make-a-difference-for-rajasthan-royals-667350/\\\">IPL 2022: Ravichandran Ashwin 'hoping to make a difference' for Rajasthan Royals</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith came out to bat early in the first session after the visitors chose to bat first in the series-decider. <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/australia/\\\">Australia</a> were at eight runs for the loss of two wickets. David Warner (7) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) were the batsmen sent back to the pavilion by Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The former Australia skipper looked in fine touch from the first ball. However, in the 11th over, his concentration was disrupted when a buggy cam, placed at deep mid wicket, started to move . Hasan Ali was bowling at the time.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/ipl-2022-swot-analysis-of-royal-challengers-bangalore-394313/\\\">IPL 2022: SWOT Analysis of Royal Challengers Bangalore</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Stop moving,\\\" Smith exclaimed, as he gestured towards the person controlling the camera.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Watch:&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1505796193770692613\",\"embed\":\"TheRealPCB/status/1505796193770692613\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Commentators Rob Key and&nbsp;Urooj Mumtaz were left in splits.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Normally, a buggy cam at that angle does not disturb batsmen but the commentators said, it was due to Smith's peripheral vision that he tracked it.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/spinners-lead-pakistan-women-to-1st-world-cup-win-in-13-years-beat-west-indies-by-8-wickets-642934/\\\">Spinners lead Pakistan women to 1st World Cup win in 13 years, beat West Indies by 8 wickets</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“How he’s seen that I don’t know. I mean, it’s on the boundary at deep mid-wicket and he’s not happy ... it’s a good 100 yards away I’d say. Extraordinary,” Rob Key can be heard saying in the video. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“I have never seen that before. One thing is for sure, Steve Smith has the best peripheral vision on the planet,”&nbsp;Urooj Mumtaz said.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith (59) faced 169 balls and hit six fours before he was undone by Naseem’s delivery, which came back sharply and hit the batter's knee in front of the stumps.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/pm-narendra-modi-congratulates-scott-morrison-for-australia-womens-teams-performance-at-icc-world-cup-580657/\\\">Modi lauds Aussie women's team game in meet with Morrison</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Pakistan recovered from dropped catches to restrict Australia to 232-5 and deny Usman Khawaja a second consecutive century on Day 1 of the third and final Test.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Fast bowler Naseem Shah, the only Pakistan change from the second drawn test at Karachi, picked up 2-36 to lead a fightback in the last session.&nbsp;Cameron Green was unbeaten on 20 and Alex Carey was not out on 8 when bad light stopped play two overs before the scheduled close.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Steve Smith was disturbed by a buggy camera during Australia's third Test vs Pakistan</li>
  <li>The Aussie was dismissed at 59 runs</li>
  <li>Pakistan recovered from dropped catches to restrict Australia to 232-5 at stumps on Day 1</li>
</ul>

3rd Test: Australia's Steve Smith left fuming after buggy cam disrupts concentration vs Pakistan | Watch

Australia's Test mainstay Marnus Labuschagne said that playing against Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin 'felt like a chess game'. The two locked horns during the Border-Gavaskar series last year. ,Labuschagne, who is currently the No 1 Test batsman, praised Ashwin's ability to assess the batsman. The off-spinner is India's third-highest wicket taker in the longest format with 430 wickets. He trails Kapil Dev by four scalps. During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, the 35-year-old picked 12 wickets and was one of India's top performers. He is also amoung the seven bowlers to dismiss Labuschagne two or more times. Also read: IPL 2022: Ashwin identifies '5-in-1' India player who may fetch Rs 15-17 crore,He is very good at assessing batsmen, and that's why I have enjoyed facing him, Labuschagne told Sportstar in an interview. He further added that Ashwin bowled beautifully in Melbourne. Also read: Where is Kieron Pollard? DJ Bravo takes a swipe at West Indies skipper,What I loved most about Ashwin was the fields he had for me and how I was trying to move the field in my endeavour to score runs. Just the way both of us were able to chop and change in the middle of an engrossing passage. It almost felt like a chess game. He bowled beautifully in Melbourne... got a few early wickets with the leg slip, the Aussie added. ,Also read: What is Virat Kohli missing? Sunil Gavaskar has a one-word answer,Australia are set to tour India in 2023 for four Test matches, three ODIs and as many T20Is. ,However, Labuschagne believes that the team's sub-continent tours prior to the series will help the team prepare for the Indian conditions. ,We've got a few subcontinent tours before my next trip to India, and hopefully, I can challenge myself in those conditions. I have a few tricks up my sleeve, he said.

{\"time\":1644568232594,\"strCount\":2321,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia's Test mainstay <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/marnuslabuschagne/\\\">Marnus Labuschagne</a> said that playing against Indian off-spinner <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/topics/ravichandranashwin/\\\">Ravichandran Ashwin</a> 'felt like a chess game'. The two locked horns during the Border-Gavaskar series last year.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Labuschagne, who is currently the No 1 Test batsman, praised Ashwin's ability to assess the batsman. The off-spinner is India's third-highest wicket taker in the longest format with 430 wickets. He trails Kapil Dev by four scalps. During the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, the 35-year-old picked 12 wickets and was one of India's top performers. He is also amoung the seven bowlers to dismiss Labuschagne two or more times.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/ipl-2022-ravichandran-ashwin-identifies-5-in-1-india-player-who-may-fetch-rs-15-to-17-crore-183828/\\\">IPL 2022: Ashwin identifies '5-in-1' India player who may fetch Rs 15-17 crore</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He is very good at assessing batsmen, and that's why I have enjoyed facing him,\\\" Labuschagne told Sportstar in an interview.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He further added that Ashwin bowled beautifully in Melbourne.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/where-is-kieron-pollard-dj-bravo-takes-a-swipe-at-west-indies-skipper-339440/\\\">Where is Kieron Pollard? DJ Bravo takes a swipe at West Indies skipper</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"What I loved most about Ashwin was the fields he had for me and how I was trying to move the field in my endeavour to score runs. Just the way both of us were able to chop and change in the middle of an engrossing passage. It almost felt like a chess game. He bowled beautifully in Melbourne... got a few early wickets with the leg slip,\\\" the Aussie added.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/what-is-virat-kohli-missing-sunil-gavaskar-has-a-one-word-answer-476171/\\\">What is Virat Kohli missing? Sunil Gavaskar has a one-word answer</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia are set to tour India in 2023 for four Test matches, three ODIs and as many T20Is.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, Labuschagne believes that the team's sub-continent tours prior to the series will help the team prepare for the Indian conditions.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"We've got a few subcontinent tours before my next trip to India, and hopefully, I can challenge myself in those conditions. I have a few tricks up my sleeve,\\\" he said.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne said playing against Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin 'felt like a chess game'</li>
  <li>Australia will tour India in 2023 for four Tests</li>
  <li>Ashwin and Labuschagne locked horns during the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series</li>
</ul>

Ashwin good at assessing batsmen: Labuschagne praises Indian spinner

RavichandranAshwin

IndiavsAustralia

Ratul Maitra

Brisbane Heat player Ben Laughlin on Friday took an
extraordinary leaping catch to dismiss Michael Nasser of the Adelaide Strikers,
getting an enormous applause from the crowd.,With Heat batsman Marcus Labuschagne picking up three
wickets in the match as an off-spinner, the Brisbane-based team won the game, defeating
the Strikers by six wickets and with seven balls to spare.,<b>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/bcci-president-sourav-ganguly-stable-after-undergoing-second-angioplasty-in-a-month">BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stable after undergoing second angioplasty in a month</a></b>,The highlight of the match, however, had to be the
Laughlin catch – as a nearly impossible aerodynamic display from the veteran made
both the commentators and the audience jittery.,Attempting to send a full-toss delivery by Marnus
Labuschagne over the boundaries through long-on, Strikers batsman Michael Nasser
almost cleared the two fielders of the bowling side – Laughlin as well as Sam
Heazlett – but could not due to Laughlin’s impressive fielding display, as the
latter took a leap mid-air, stretching his body before catching the ball in one-hand.,As the crowd erupted in cheer, the commentators too
could not seem to contain themselves as they marvelled over the one-hand-wonder.,<b>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/england-cricketer-rory-burns-welcomes-ecbs-initiative-to-give-anti-racism-training">England cricketer Rory Burns welcomes ECB's initiative to give anti-racism training</a></b>,“Have a look at that!” one of the commentators exclaimed
as a replay of the feat was played.,Both the ICC and Big Bash League reacted to the
catch on their Twitter handles, with the former putting "You cannot do
this, Ben Laughlin!" as a caption to the video, while the latter relying
more on emojis to signify their state of mind.

{\"time\":1611926047391,\"strCount\":1842,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Brisbane Heat player Ben Laughlin on Friday took an\\nextraordinary leaping catch to dismiss Michael Nasser of the Adelaide Strikers,\\ngetting an enormous applause from the crowd.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With Heat batsman Marcus Labuschagne picking up three\\nwickets in the match as an off-spinner, the Brisbane-based team won the game, defeating\\nthe Strikers by six wickets and with seven balls to spare.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/health/bcci-president-sourav-ganguly-stable-after-undergoing-second-angioplasty-in-a-month-637327/\\\">BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stable after undergoing second angioplasty in a month</a></b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The highlight of the match, however, had to be the\\nLaughlin catch – as a nearly impossible aerodynamic display from the veteran made\\nboth the commentators and the audience jittery.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Attempting to send a full-toss delivery by Marnus\\nLabuschagne over the boundaries through long-on, Strikers batsman Michael Nasser\\nalmost cleared the two fielders of the bowling side – Laughlin as well as Sam\\nHeazlett – but could not due to Laughlin’s impressive fielding display, as the\\nlatter took a leap mid-air, stretching his body before catching the ball in one-hand.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"others\",\"source\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">&quot;You cannot do this, Ben Laughlin!&quot; ?<a href=\\\"https://t.co/bATuO9Tv2J\\\">pic.twitter.com/bATuO9Tv2J</a></p>&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1355110390384840707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">January 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"embed\":\"<div class=\\\"others-embed\\\"><blockquote class=\\\"twitter-tweet\\\"><p lang=\\\"en\\\" dir=\\\"ltr\\\">&quot;You cannot do this, Ben Laughlin!&quot; ?<a href=\\\"https://t.co/bATuO9Tv2J\\\">pic.twitter.com/bATuO9Tv2J</a></p>&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href=\\\"https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1355110390384840707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\\\">January 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=\\\"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\\\" charset=\\\"utf-8\\\"></script></div>\",\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":null}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"As the crowd erupted in cheer, the commentators too\\ncould not seem to contain themselves as they marvelled over the one-hand-wonder.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also read:&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/england-cricketer-rory-burns-welcomes-ecbs-initiative-to-give-anti-racism-training-598769/\\\">England cricketer Rory Burns welcomes ECB's initiative to give anti-racism training</a></b>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“Have a look at that!” one of the commentators exclaimed\\nas a replay of the feat was played.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Both the ICC and Big Bash League reacted to the\\ncatch on their Twitter handles, with the former putting \\\"You cannot do\\nthis, Ben Laughlin!\\\" as a caption to the video, while the latter relying\\nmore on emojis to signify their state of mind.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Brisbane Heat defeated Adelaide Strikers by six wickets in the match</li>
  <li>Laughlin, with the catch, dismissed Michael Nasser who originally aimed to send the ball across long-on</li>
  <li>Both ICC and Big Bash League reacted to the catch on ehtier respective Twitter handles</li>
</ul>

Watch: Ben Laughlin's one-handed catch in BBL match gets electric response from crowd

BigBashLeague

AdelaideStrikers

BrisbaneHeat

Brisbane QLD, Australia

Rain stopped play 11 balls into India's second innings during the final session of day four of the series-deciding fourth Test against Australia at the Gabba on Monday.
India bowled Australia out for 294 midway through the session and had reached four without loss when players were forced from the field.
India need 328 runs for victory or need to surive all day Tuesday to draw the match and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

{\"time\":1610954403596,\"strCount\":428,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"name\":\"intro\",\"text\":\"Rain stopped play 11 balls into India's second innings during the final session of day four of the series-deciding fourth Test against Australia at the Gabba on Monday.\\nIndia bowled Australia out for 294 midway through the session and had reached four without loss when players were forced from the field.\\nIndia need 328 runs for victory or need to surive all day Tuesday to draw the match and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Australia are currently placed at 243 for seven</li>
  <li>At tea on day 4, Australia have a lead of 276&nbsp;</li>
  <li>Australia were at 21/0 at stumps, leading India by 54 runs&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

IND vs AUS 4th Test, Day 4 highlights: Play abandoned due to rain, India need 324 to win

BorderGavaskarTrophy

Brisbane

WashingtonSundar

TimPaine

AjinkyaRahane

MohammedSiraj

ShardulThakur

The second day of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia was abandoned after rain hit the Gabba. Before rain disrupted the play, India were steadied by Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Ajinkya Rahane after the visitors lost Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon respectively.
India went into the tea break on the second day at 62 for two, with Cheteshwar Pujara on eight alongside skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who was on two.
Australia held a slight advantage at tea, leading by 307 runs after they were bowled out for 369 on the stroke of lunch.

{\"time\":1610780739073,\"strCount\":576,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"name\":\"intro\",\"text\":\"The second day of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia was abandoned after rain hit the Gabba. Before rain disrupted the play, India were steadied by Cheteshwar Pujara and captain Ajinkya Rahane after the visitors lost Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon respectively.\\nIndia went into the tea break on the second day at 62 for two, with Cheteshwar Pujara on eight alongside skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who was on two.\\nAustralia held a slight advantage at tea, leading by 307 runs after they were bowled out for 369 on the stroke of lunch.\"}}]}

Shubham Banerjee

<ul>
  <li>Pat Cummins dismissed Shuibman Gill</li>
  <li>Nathan Lyon, playing his 100th Test, got rid of Rohit Sharma</li>
  <li>Australia have never lost a Test match at the Gabba after scoring 350 in the first innings</li>
</ul>

IND vs AUS 4th Test, Day 2 Highlights: Play abandoned due to wet outfield

TNatarajan

NavdeepSaini

ShubmanGill

Riding on Marnus Labuschagne's fifth Test century, Australia scored 274 runs for the loss of five wickets on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against India in Brisbane on Friday.&nbsp;,An inexperienced Indian bowling attack started brightly and did well to take regular wickets but failed to capitalise on key moments as the hosts threaten to post an imposing first innings total at the Gabba Stadium.&nbsp;,Three Indian bowlers, T Natarajan (2/63), Shardul Thakur (1/67) and Washington Sundar (1/63),&nbsp; notched their maiden Test wickets but the focus will undoubtedly be on the <a href="http://v">injury concern for paceman Navdeep Saini</a>, who was forced off the field after complaints of groin pain.&nbsp;,Already dealing with an injury crisis, having lost key players like of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, India yet again finished the day with a player forced off due to injury.,<b>Also Read |</b> <a href="https://opoyi.com/indvsaus-10-facets-of-fourth-test-as-the-gabbatoir-awaits-team-india">INDvsAUS: 10 facets of fourth Test as 'The Gabbatoir' awaits team India</a>,Saini pulled up after bowling the fifth delivery of his eighth over and was escorted off the field with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming the 28-year-old has been taken for scans.&nbsp;,However, India will take heart from the fight its young bowlers mustered in spells during the opening day's play.&nbsp;,Mohammed Siraj, who made his debut in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, got off to the perfect start as he induced a thick edge from out-of-form opener David Warner (1 from 4).&nbsp;,<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-batsman-steve-smith-overtakes-virat-kohli-to-occupy-second-spot-in-icc-test-rankings">Steve Smith overtakes Virat Kohli in ICC Test rankings</a>,Thakur, included in the squad to replace pace spearhead Bumrah, then got his maiden wicket off his very first ball in Test match cricket, as an in-swinging delivery was flicked by Marcus Harris (5 from 23) straight to Sundar at square leg.,Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne dug in for an impressive 70-run stand before Smith (36 from 77) threw his wicket away, flicking a tossed up delivery from Sundar straight to Rohit Sharma at short mid-on for his maiden wicket.&nbsp;,Smith's apprentice took charge of proceedings from there, notching his fifty and forging a 100-run partnership with Matthew Wade. Having been dropped by Rahane earlier, with another edge falling just short of Pujara at first slip, Labuschagne made the most of his chances by bringing up his fifth Test ton at his home ground.&nbsp;,<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/australia-vs-india-4th-test-day-1-rishabh-pant-appeal-tim-paine-rohit-sharma-marnus-labuschagne-rahane">'No one's convinced': ICC pokes fun at Rishabh Pant's appeal that went unsupported</a>,At 200/3, the hosts were firmly in the driver's seat before Natarajan struck twice to remove both set batsmen. Wade (45 from 87) and Labuschagne (108 from 204) both fell to well-directed bouncers respectively as Natarajan continued his fairy-tale run in the national team.&nbsp;,There were signs of fatigue later in the day as skipper Tim Paine (38 from 62) and Cameron Green (28 from 70) scored freely, adding 61 runs in 127 deliveries, to put the hosts in control at the end of the day's play.&nbsp;

{\"time\":1610700801864,\"strCount\":3370,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Riding on Marnus Labuschagne's fifth Test century, Australia scored 274 runs for the loss of five wickets on the opening day of the fourth and final Test against India in Brisbane on Friday.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"An inexperienced Indian bowling attack started brightly and did well to take regular wickets but failed to capitalise on key moments as the hosts threaten to post an imposing first innings total at the Gabba Stadium.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Three Indian bowlers, T Natarajan (2/63), Shardul Thakur (1/67) and Washington Sundar (1/63),&nbsp; notched their maiden Test wickets but the focus will undoubtedly be on the <a href=\\\"http://v\\\">injury concern for paceman Navdeep Saini</a>, who was forced off the field after complaints of groin pain.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Already dealing with an injury crisis, having lost key players like of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, India yet again finished the day with a player forced off due to injury.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |</b> <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/indvsaus-10-facets-of-fourth-test-as-the-gabbatoir-awaits-team-india-516690/\\\">INDvsAUS: 10 facets of fourth Test as 'The Gabbatoir' awaits team India</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Saini pulled up after bowling the fifth delivery of his eighth over and was escorted off the field with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirming the 28-year-old has been taken for scans.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, India will take heart from the fight its young bowlers mustered in spells during the opening day's play.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Mohammed Siraj, who made his debut in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, got off to the perfect start as he induced a thick edge from out-of-form opener David Warner (1 from 4).&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/australian-batsman-steve-smith-overtakes-virat-kohli-to-occupy-second-spot-in-icc-test-rankings-479696/\\\">Steve Smith overtakes Virat Kohli in ICC Test rankings</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Thakur, included in the squad to replace pace spearhead Bumrah, then got his maiden wicket off his very first ball in Test match cricket, as an in-swinging delivery was flicked by Marcus Harris (5 from 23) straight to Sundar at square leg.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne dug in for an impressive 70-run stand before Smith (36 from 77) threw his wicket away, flicking a tossed up delivery from Sundar straight to Rohit Sharma at short mid-on for his maiden wicket.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith's apprentice took charge of proceedings from there, notching his fifty and forging a 100-run partnership with Matthew Wade. Having been dropped by Rahane earlier, with another edge falling just short of Pujara at first slip, Labuschagne made the most of his chances by bringing up his fifth Test ton at his home ground.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/australia-vs-india-4th-test-day-1-rishabh-pant-appeal-tim-paine-rohit-sharma-marnus-labuschagne-rahane-438664/\\\">'No one's convinced': ICC pokes fun at Rishabh Pant's appeal that went unsupported</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"At 200/3, the hosts were firmly in the driver's seat before Natarajan struck twice to remove both set batsmen. Wade (45 from 87) and Labuschagne (108 from 204) both fell to well-directed bouncers respectively as Natarajan continued his fairy-tale run in the national team.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"There were signs of fatigue later in the day as skipper Tim Paine (38 from 62) and Cameron Green (28 from 70) scored freely, adding 61 runs in 127 deliveries, to put the hosts in control at the end of the day's play.&nbsp;\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne scored 108 runs from 204 deliveries</li>
  <li>T Natarajan, W Sundar and S Thakur got their debut Test wickets</li>
  <li>Navdeep Saini was forced off the field due to groin pain</li>
</ul>

Gabba Test: Centurion Marnus Labuschagne helps Australia finish strong at 274/5 on Day 1

A pitch known for true bounce and flaming strokeplay, Gabba would host India and Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. 

With the series tied at 1-1, Brisbane will announce the taker of the trophy by the end of this Test. For India, a win or even a draw suffices to retain the cup but Tim Paine and company cannot do without a win. 

Ajinkya Rahane's captaincy has already challenged the Australian egos coming into the Gabba Test with a satisfactory win at Melbourne and a statement-making draw at Sydney. 

However, Australia will bank on their dominant record at Gabba and the injury woes of India to have the last laugh of the series. 
The team batting first at Brisbane have won 25 times whereas bowling first have won 23 times. The pitch is expected to render the same bounce it is known for as both the teams with the Test Championship and series in mind would take on each other.

{\"time\":1610696675258,\"strCount\":909,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"name\":\"intro\",\"text\":\"A pitch known for true bounce and flaming strokeplay, Gabba would host India and Australia in the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. \\n\\nWith the series tied at 1-1, Brisbane will announce the taker of the trophy by the end of this Test. For India, a win or even a draw suffices to retain the cup but Tim Paine and company cannot do without a win. \\n\\nAjinkya Rahane's captaincy has already challenged the Australian egos coming into the Gabba Test with a satisfactory win at Melbourne and a statement-making draw at Sydney. \\n\\nHowever, Australia will bank on their dominant record at Gabba and the injury woes of India to have the last laugh of the series. \\nThe team batting first at Brisbane have won 25 times whereas bowling first have won 23 times. The pitch is expected to render the same bounce it is known for as both the teams with the Test Championship and series in mind would take on each other.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Australia have not lost a Test at The Gabba since 1988</li>
  <li>Shardul Thakur dismissed Marcus Harris for his maiden Test wicket</li>
  <li>The Indian team need to avoid a loss to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy</li>
</ul>

4th Test, Day 1 Highlights: Paine, Green up the ante as Australia score 274/5 at Stumps

Sydney NSW, Australia

The recently-concluded third Test match between India and Australia in Sydney was a whirlwind for cricket fans, as the game, throughout the course of the five days, tilted time and again towards both the home side and the visitors, eventually resulting in a draw that might be one for the books. Below affixed are some defining moments from the clash which drove the competition between the two teams in its course:

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Below affixed are some defining moments from the clash which drove the competition between the two teams in its course:\"}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.65100986\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_cbT5ow1e4.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day one: Young Australian debutant Will Pucovski (right) plays a brilliant knock, bringing up a half-century while building the innings will fellow-opener Marnus Labuschagne.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@CricketAus)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"aftG2zo5Wmol\",\"height\":1419,\"width\":2129,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"67.83333333\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_JNXfbGlSsm.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day two: Having displayed a solid performance on the first day, Labuschagne departs on the second day as Ravindra Jadeja celebrates his dismissal, having taken a total of four wickets- the most for the bowling side.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@ICC)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"6WqmllZ9ZHXF\",\"height\":407,\"width\":600,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.60156250\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_CajPlJiQ8.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day two: Australian top order batsman Steve Smith strokes his bat in the air, celebrating after scoring a century on the second day of the third Test against India. Smith scored 131 runs from 226 balls, a fine comeback from his scores from the first and second Test matches.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@ICC)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"AskqOqqvAE2Q\",\"height\":682,\"width\":1024,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.66666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_rvC0J5fFX.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day two: India's Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma started accelerating the innings, getting off to a strong start as Gill scored a half-century to propel the Indian batting but was dismissed towards the end of the day's game.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@ICC)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"yjLqH5osQDBG\",\"height\":400,\"width\":600,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"119.83333333\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_M-xBdy6PA.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day three: Cheteshwar Pujara gets out of the way of the ball. Pujara scored a resilient 50 runs off 176 balls, aiming to lead forward the Indian innings alongside fellow batters such as Ajinkya Rahane and Rishabh Pant, but ultimately a surprise delivery of Pat Cummins touched the batsman's gloves, with Tim Paine not making any mistakes to grab on to it.\",\"source\":\"(AP/PTI)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"O7YJTbnYUpsk\",\"height\":719,\"width\":600,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"69.33333333\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_5ckPeeslIo.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day three: Veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja suffered a dislocation in his left thumb as well as a fracture amid fears of him not being able to compete in the fourth Test match.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@BCCI)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"v4G1lOcp2nGA\",\"height\":416,\"width\":600,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"66.66666667\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_198mtpuWp.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day four: Pat Cummins put up a stellar performance, putting pressure on the Indian side as the hosts declared their innings with the score of 312 for the loss of six wickets at Tea, leaving India to chase after a monumental total of 407, trailing by 309 runs.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@CricketAus)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"fwSw5324cSEw\",\"height\":600,\"width\":900,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"56.33333333\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_HVhRJp7Jc.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"Day five: A fabulous counter-attack from the Indian quarters, as Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant, hitting 77 from 205 balls and 97 from 118 deliveries respectively, took the total to a peak of 334 for the loss of five wickets. The Indian side trailed by 309 at the start of the day's game.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@ICC)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"mP9FsasfBfrg\",\"height\":338,\"width\":600,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}},{\"type\":\"image\",\"data\":{\"aspectRatio\":\"149.92679356\",\"file\":{\"url\":\"/opoyi_JaPYJ3u8Y.jpg\"},\"caption\":\"The unlikely, yet resilient fight from India emerged from the lower-middle order towards the end of the fifth day. Hanuma Vihari (face-forward) and Ravishandran Ashwin helped India make a turnaround. The latter, with a reportedly broken back, displayed a solid Test match performance, playing a 39-run knock of 128 balls. The duo took India to a drawn result, facing unfavourable conditions throughout their time on the crease.\",\"source\":\"(Twitter/@BCCI)\",\"name\":\"\",\"tags\":\"\",\"mediaId\":\"9pMKGOKPzjYl\",\"height\":1024,\"width\":683,\"startCrop\":false,\"completeCrop\":false,\"replace\":false,\"insertAfter\":false}}]}

In pics | Defining moments from India vs Australia Sydney Test

TestSeries

WillPucovski

RavindraJadeja

CheteshwarPujara

The Australian duo - Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will resume the second innings at 103/2, as the Ravindra Jadeja-less Indian bowling attack would throw their kitchen sink to ground the home team for cheap. With no Jadeja to make the old ball useful, Ajinkya Rahane might hand short spells to Hanuma Vihari, who can offer decent off-spin. However, Jasprit Bumrah followed by Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini, will have to neutralize Smith and Labuschagne early to exploit Australia's middle-order woes. 

The Day 2 of the SCG test was dominated by Australia, first with the ball and then the bat. Dismissing Ajinkya Rahane early, the pacers sent back Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara in consecutive overs. The lower middle-order and the tail could only manage to take the score to 244 - a 94 run deficit. Although the Indian bowlers successfully dismissed the Aussie openers under 10 overs, Smith and Labuschagne stitched a reasonable stand, shifting the advantage back to the Kangaroos

{\"time\":1610265674671,\"strCount\":994,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"name\":\"intro\",\"text\":\"The Australian duo - Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will resume the second innings at 103/2, as the Ravindra Jadeja-less Indian bowling attack would throw their kitchen sink to ground the home team for cheap. With no Jadeja to make the old ball useful, Ajinkya Rahane might hand short spells to Hanuma Vihari, who can offer decent off-spin. However, Jasprit Bumrah followed by Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini, will have to neutralize Smith and Labuschagne early to exploit Australia's middle-order woes. \\n\\nThe Day 2 of the SCG test was dominated by Australia, first with the ball and then the bat. Dismissing Ajinkya Rahane early, the pacers sent back Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara in consecutive overs. The lower middle-order and the tail could only manage to take the score to 244 - a 94 run deficit. Although the Indian bowlers successfully dismissed the Aussie openers under 10 overs, Smith and Labuschagne stitched a reasonable stand, shifting the advantage back to the Kangaroos\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the series after he suffered a thumb fracture</li>
  <li>Cheteshwar Pujara and Shumban Gill scored half-centuries in the first innings&nbsp;</li>
  <li>Australia lead India by 197 runs at Stumps on Day 3</li>
</ul>

Australia vs India 3rd Test, Day 4 highlights:  India's score stands at 98/2, needs 309 runs more to win

JaspritBumrah

In an evenly poised match, with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at stake, the feisty Australian pace trio – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will take on a sturdy Indian line-up on the third day of the SCG Test. Cheteshwar Pujara (9) and Ajinkya Rahane (5) will look to exploit the deadness of the pitch on Day 3 – a period that could decide the course of the match.

On the second day, it was Steve Smith who made 226 balls count– scoring a phenomenal 131. His protege, Marnus Labuschagne also made an impact, being a part of two century partnerships and scoring 91 runs himself. For India, it was Ravindra Jadeja who topped the charts claiming his best figures on Australian soil- 4/62. The Baroda based all-rounder's rocket arm throw finished the proceedings in the first innings. Coming out to bat, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitched a 70 run partnership, occupying the crease for 26 overs, which is the highest by an Indian opening pair in the last decade. Gill went on to score his maiden half-century as Rohit Sharma was dismissed on 26 runs.

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Sayantan Guha

<ul>
  <li>Australia scored 338 runs in the first innings</li>
  <li>India managed 90 runs losing two wickets by stumps on Day 2</li>
  <li>Shubman Gill scored his maiden half-century in Test cricket on Day 2</li>
</ul>

Australia vs India 3rd Test, Day 3 Highlights: Game ends for the day, Australia leads by 197

BCCI

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne sledged Shubman Gill and then Rohit Sharma on the second day of the SCG test, posing questions and engaging in banter with both of them. Labuschagne's question to Gill,'Who is your favourite player?' was caught on the stump mic as the Aussie continued to pester the 21-year-old. ,Tim Paine and company folded for 338, owing to Ravindra Jadeja's four-fer and some tight bowling by the pacers. In reply, India finished the second day at 96/2, Ajinkya Rahane (5) and Cheteshwar Pujara (9) still on the crease. ,"Who’s your favourite player?” Labuschagne went on between deliveries of Starc’s second over.,“I will tell you after the match,” replied Gill.,"After the ball... Sachin? Do you reckon Virat?” the Aussie further pushed.,When Shubman Gill didn't engage in a conversation, Labuschagne went on with Rohit Sharma– as the Indian Vice Captain came to the strikers end. "Hey what did you do in quarantine?” he asked Sharma. The Mumbai Indians skipper came into the side after spending 14 days in quarantine. ,While Labuschagne pursued the conversation, the commentators– listening to his perseverance– laughed. ,Earlier, it was Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne who put on a 100 run stand, the former scoring his 27th Test century while the latter was dismissed on 91 runs. India's Shubman Gill scored a half-century and put up a 70 run opening stand with Rohit Sharma (26). 


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<ul>
  <li>Steve Smith scored his 27th Test century during the second test match at Sydney</li>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne scored 91 runs in the first innings&nbsp;</li>
  <li>Ravindra Jadeja picked four wickets, the highest in the Indian &nbsp;bowling line-up</li>
</ul>

Who is your favourite player?: Marnus Labuschagne sledges Shubman Gill

Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah curtailed Australia's early first innings dominance as the hosts were bundled out for 338, with Shubman Gill starring in the visitors' response of 96 for the loss of two wickets at the end of day two in the ongoing third Test in Sydney on Friday.&nbsp;,Jadeja was the pick of the India bowlers, returning figures of 4/62 from 18 overs and effected <a href="https://opoyi.com/sydney-test-smith-roars-back-to-form-with-27th-ton">centurion Steve Smith's (131)</a> run out with a direct hit from the deep as India reduced Australia to a competitive total after being 206/2 at one point.&nbsp;,Smith and his understudy <a href="https://opoyi.com/jadeja-denies-labuschagne-ton-as-australia-pegged-back-at-2495-at-lunch-on-day-2">Marnus Labuschagne</a> (91) forged a 100-run partnership and threatened to take the hosts beyond the 400-run mark before Jadeja induced an outside edge, caught sharply at first slip by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, to dismiss the latter.&nbsp;,Smith completed his fifty in the very next over as he smacked an underwhelming Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74) straight down the ground for a boundary.,Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Cameron Green (0) and skipper Tim Paine (1) to register impressive figures of 2/66 while debutant Navdeep Saini got rid of a flourishing Mitchell Starc (24) to double his overnight wickets tally.,With wickets falling at the other end, Smith reminded the world of his class with a determined showing as he reached his 27th Test ton. His 226-ball, 131-run innings featured 16 boundaries.&nbsp;,<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/bcci-formally-asks-ca-to-relax-hard-quarantine-rules-ahead-of-brisbane-test">BCCI formally asks CA to relax hard quarantine rules ahead of Brisbane Test</a>,In response, Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (50) were in complete control during the opening exchanges as they build a platform for the rest of the batsmen to eat into Australia's lead.&nbsp;,Sharma, playing for the first time in two almost months, was dismissed as he sent the ball straight back to Josh Hazlewood for a caught-and-bowled after bracing the Aussie attack for nearly two hours.&nbsp;,Meanwhile, Gill was unflappable right up until his dismissal, edging a jaffer from Pat Cummins to Cameron Green at gully, exuding confidence as he drove and pulled away to fifty runs.&nbsp;,The duo scored 70 runs, India's first 50+ opening stand in 14 innings, with India ending the day 242 runs behind Australia's first innings total.&nbsp;

{\"time\":1610098198303,\"strCount\":2512,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah curtailed Australia's early first innings dominance as the hosts were bundled out for 338, with Shubman Gill starring in the visitors' response of 96 for the loss of two wickets at the end of day two in the ongoing third Test in Sydney on Friday.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jadeja was the pick of the India bowlers, returning figures of 4/62 from 18 overs and effected <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/sydney-test-smith-roars-back-to-form-with-27th-ton-459336/\\\">centurion Steve Smith's (131)</a> run out with a direct hit from the deep as India reduced Australia to a competitive total after being 206/2 at one point.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith and his understudy <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/jadeja-denies-labuschagne-ton-as-australia-pegged-back-at-2495-at-lunch-on-day-483459/\\\">Marnus Labuschagne</a> (91) forged a 100-run partnership and threatened to take the hosts beyond the 400-run mark before Jadeja induced an outside edge, caught sharply at first slip by skipper Ajinkya Rahane, to dismiss the latter.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith completed his fifty in the very next over as he smacked an underwhelming Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74) straight down the ground for a boundary.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Cameron Green (0) and skipper Tim Paine (1) to register impressive figures of 2/66 while debutant Navdeep Saini got rid of a flourishing Mitchell Starc (24) to double his overnight wickets tally.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With wickets falling at the other end, Smith reminded the world of his class with a determined showing as he reached his 27th Test ton. His 226-ball, 131-run innings featured 16 boundaries.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/bcci-formally-asks-ca-to-relax-hard-quarantine-rules-ahead-of-brisbane-test-303022/\\\">BCCI formally asks CA to relax hard quarantine rules ahead of Brisbane Test</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"In response, Rohit Sharma (26) and Shubman Gill (50) were in complete control during the opening exchanges as they build a platform for the rest of the batsmen to eat into Australia's lead.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Sharma, playing for the first time in two almost months, was dismissed as he sent the ball straight back to Josh Hazlewood for a caught-and-bowled after bracing the Aussie attack for nearly two hours.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, Gill was unflappable right up until his dismissal, edging a jaffer from Pat Cummins to Cameron Green at gully, exuding confidence as he drove and pulled away to fifty runs.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The duo scored 70 runs, India's first 50+ opening stand in 14 innings, with India ending the day 242 runs behind Australia's first innings total.&nbsp;\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Australia scored 338 runs in their first innings</li>
  <li>Steve Smith (131 from 226) scored his 27th Test century</li>
  <li>Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the India bowlers, returning figures of 4/62 from 18 overs</li>
</ul>

Jadeja, Bumrah curb hosts as Gill shines in India's 96/2 total at Stumps on Day 2

Having scored 166 for the loss of two on the opening, rain-marred, day of the third Test in Sydney, Australia will be hoping to build a commanding first innings total and put the visitors under pressure. Fifties from debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne and an ominously confident showing from Steve Smith helped put the hosts on top on the opening day. Mohammed Siraj started the innings brightly, dismissing David Warner in the fourth over of the match before rains halted play for nearly four hours. Pucovski and Labuschagne added 100 runs for the second wicket before debutant Navdeep Saini accounted for Pucovski's dismissal to open his wicket-taking account in Test cricket. Smith and Labuschagne looked in fine fettle as they added 60 runs for the third wicket to guide the hosts to a strong position at the end of the day's play.

{\"time\":1610091404822,\"strCount\":846,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"name\":\"intro\",\"text\":\"Having scored 166 for the loss of two on the opening, rain-marred, day of the third Test in Sydney, Australia will be hoping to build a commanding first innings total and put the visitors under pressure. Fifties from debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne and an ominously confident showing from Steve Smith helped put the hosts on top on the opening day. Mohammed Siraj started the innings brightly, dismissing David Warner in the fourth over of the match before rains halted play for nearly four hours. Pucovski and Labuschagne added 100 runs for the second wicket before debutant Navdeep Saini accounted for Pucovski's dismissal to open his wicket-taking account in Test cricket. Smith and Labuschagne looked in fine fettle as they added 60 runs for the third wicket to guide the hosts to a strong position at the end of the day's play.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Australia posted a first-innings total of 338 runs</li>
  <li>Steve Smith scored 131 from 226 deliveries</li>
  <li>Ravindra Jadeja registered figures of 4/62 from 18 overs</li>
</ul>

3rd Test, Day 2 Highlights: India stutter after strong start with Hazlewood, Cummins removing openers

Marnus Labuschagne was denied a much-deserved ton by Ravindra Jadeja as the Australian innings was pegged back by Indian bowlers on the second day of the ongoing third Test in Sydney on Friday.&nbsp;,Labuschagne, along with his mentor Steve Smith, added 100 runs for the third wicket and looked set for his fifth Test century before Jadeja induced an outside edge for skipper Ajinkya Rahane to take a sharp, low catch at first slip to dismiss the South-African born batsman at 91.&nbsp;,Jadeja, who was underused on the opening day of the match - introduced very late into the attack to bowl only three overs - was deployed much earlier today and provided two vital breakthroughs on the day, also dismissing Matthew Wade.&nbsp;,Rahane deployed a leg-heavy field at the onset of the second day's play with the India pacers sticking to a middle-leg line, not presenting much of a threat to Labuschagne and Smith.&nbsp;The duo comfortably added 40 runs to the overnight score of 166, bringing up their 100-run stand as well.&nbsp;,Labuschagne, who struck 11 boundaries in his innings, was caught by the extra bounce in an arm ball by Jadeja as he edged the delivery to the Indian skipper. ,His dismissal was followed by Smith reaching his 30th Test fifty in the very next over, smacking Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74 in 24 overs) for a boundary straight down the ground as he overcame low scores in Adelaide and Melbourne with his first milestone of the series.&nbsp;,His unbeaten 76 at Lunch featured 11 fours.&nbsp;,Wade looked for an aggressive approach from the offset, hitting two boundaries en route to scoring 13 from 15 deliveries before skying a delivery from Jadeja straight to Jasprit Bumrah at mid-on.&nbsp;,India's resurgence continued with Bumrah then trapping Cameron Green (0 from 21) for an easy lbw decision right on the stoke of Lunch.&nbsp;

{\"time\":1610083748380,\"strCount\":1853,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Marnus Labuschagne was denied a much-deserved ton by Ravindra Jadeja as the Australian innings was pegged back by Indian bowlers on the second day of the ongoing third Test in Sydney on Friday.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Labuschagne, along with his mentor Steve Smith, added 100 runs for the third wicket and looked set for his fifth Test century before Jadeja induced an outside edge for skipper Ajinkya Rahane to take a sharp, low catch at first slip to dismiss the South-African born batsman at 91.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Jadeja, who was underused on the opening day of the match - introduced very late into the attack to bowl only three overs - was deployed much earlier today and provided two vital breakthroughs on the day, also dismissing Matthew Wade.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Rahane deployed a leg-heavy field at the onset of the second day's play with the India pacers sticking to a middle-leg line, not presenting much of a threat to Labuschagne and Smith.&nbsp;The duo comfortably added 40 runs to the overnight score of 166, bringing up their 100-run stand as well.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Labuschagne, who struck 11 boundaries in his innings, was caught by the extra bounce in an arm ball by Jadeja as he edged the delivery to the Indian skipper. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"His dismissal was followed by Smith reaching his 30th Test fifty in the very next over, smacking Ravichandran Ashwin (0/74 in 24 overs) for a boundary straight down the ground as he overcame low scores in Adelaide and Melbourne with his first milestone of the series.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"His unbeaten 76 at Lunch featured 11 fours.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Wade looked for an aggressive approach from the offset, hitting two boundaries en route to scoring 13 from 15 deliveries before skying a delivery from Jadeja straight to Jasprit Bumrah at mid-on.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"India's resurgence continued with Bumrah then trapping Cameron Green (0 from 21) for an easy lbw decision right on the stoke of Lunch.&nbsp;\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne scored 91 from 196 delivers&nbsp;</li>
  <li>He added 100 runs for the third wicket with Steve Smith (76*)</li>
  <li>Jadeja also dismissed Matthew Wade (13) prior to Lunch</li>
</ul>

Jadeja denies Labuschagne ton as Australia pegged back at 249/5 at Lunch on Day 2

Debutant Will Pucovski rode his luck on the opening day of the third Test in Sydney to notch his first fifty as did Marnus Labuschagne, who hit an unbeaten half-century to put Australia in a commanding position, 166/2, at stumps on Day 1 of the Sydney Test. Steve Smith, too, broke his shackles to help his team maintain their pole position.,Returning David Warner was sent packing early as Mohammed Siraj continued his wicket-taking riot from Melbourne to put Australia on the back foot before <a href="http://v">rain halted play</a> at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for nearly four hours.&nbsp;,However, Pucovski and Labuschagne added 100 runs for the second wicket as the former went on to score 62 after being shared his blushes by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant twice before tea.&nbsp;,Debutant Navdeep Saini, selected in place of the injured Umesh Yadav, trapped Pucovski in front of the wicket to peg the hosts back early in the third session but Smith and Labuschagne took charge of the proceedings from there to end the day with the promise of an imposing first-innings total.&nbsp;,Smith, who uncharacteristically registered single digits scores in each of his last three innings and was dethroned as the top-ranked batsman prior to this innings, dispatched pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for a boundary at mid-on in just his eighth delivery to set the tone for his innings.&nbsp;,<b>Also Read |&nbsp;</b><a href="https://opoyi.com/ravichandran-ashwins-improvisation-to-ravindra-jadejas-improvement-things-that-stood-out-for-ajinkya-rahane">Ahead of Sydney Test, Ajinkya Rahane heaps praise on R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja</a>,He then struck a couple of boundaries off Saini in the very next over and seemed to have dispelled his ghosts from the first half of the series before India skipper Ajinkya Rahane effected a bowling change to introduce his nemesis Ravichandran Ashwin.&nbsp;,However, the Australian was more than prepared this time, taking on the veteran spinner for a couple of boundaries to stamp his authority over the matchup.&nbsp;,"It was good to get a couple of boundaries early. Marnus played well, hopefully we go along well tomorrow," he said in his post-match comments.,Meanwhile, Smith's understudy Labuschagne survived an early scare, edging a Bumrah-delivery which fell just short of the slip squadron, before notching his ninth Test fifty.&nbsp;,The South African-born remained unbeaten at 67 and shared a 60-run stand with Smith.&nbsp;,Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat on a day marred by rain, with as many as 35 overs being lost due to the weather-enforced stoppages.&nbsp;

{\"time\":1610014290850,\"strCount\":2632,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Debutant Will Pucovski rode his luck on the opening day of the third Test in Sydney to notch his first fifty as did Marnus Labuschagne, who hit an unbeaten half-century to put Australia in a commanding position, 166/2, at stumps on Day 1 of the Sydney Test. Steve Smith, too, broke his shackles to help his team maintain their pole position.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Returning David Warner was sent packing early as Mohammed Siraj continued his wicket-taking riot from Melbourne to put Australia on the back foot before <a href=\\\"http://v\\\">rain halted play</a> at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for nearly four hours.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, Pucovski and Labuschagne added 100 runs for the second wicket as the former went on to score 62 after being shared his blushes by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant twice before tea.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Debutant Navdeep Saini, selected in place of the injured Umesh Yadav, trapped Pucovski in front of the wicket to peg the hosts back early in the third session but Smith and Labuschagne took charge of the proceedings from there to end the day with the promise of an imposing first-innings total.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Smith, who uncharacteristically registered single digits scores in each of his last three innings and was dethroned as the top-ranked batsman prior to this innings, dispatched pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for a boundary at mid-on in just his eighth delivery to set the tone for his innings.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |&nbsp;</b><a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/ravichandran-ashwins-improvisation-to-ravindra-jadejas-improvement-things-that-stood-out-for-ajinkya-rahane\\\">Ahead of Sydney Test, Ajinkya Rahane heaps praise on R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He then struck a couple of boundaries off Saini in the very next over and seemed to have dispelled his ghosts from the first half of the series before India skipper Ajinkya Rahane effected a bowling change to introduce his nemesis Ravichandran Ashwin.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"However, the Australian was more than prepared this time, taking on the veteran spinner for a couple of boundaries to stamp his authority over the matchup.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It was good to get a couple of boundaries early. Marnus played well, hopefully we go along well tomorrow,\\\" he said in his post-match comments.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, Smith's understudy Labuschagne survived an early scare, edging a Bumrah-delivery which fell just short of the slip squadron, before notching his ninth Test fifty.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The South African-born remained unbeaten at 67 and shared a 60-run stand with Smith.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat on a day marred by rain, with as many as 35 overs being lost due to the weather-enforced stoppages.&nbsp;\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>22-year-old Will Pucovski scored 62 on his Test debut for Australia</li>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith added 60 runs for the third wicket at Stumps</li>
  <li>Navdeep Saini and Mohammed Siraj took a wicket each</li>
</ul>

Sydney Test: Will Pucovski, Marnus Labuschagne's fifties guide Australia to 166/2 on rain-hit first day

Mohammed Siraj picked up the key wicket of David Warner early on the first day of the third Test in Sydney as play was stopped due to rain just seven overs with Australia at 21/1 on Thursday.&nbsp;,Siraj dismissed Warner (5) after forcing an edge from the southpaw in the fourth over of the match with Cheteshwar Pujara taking a regulation catch at first slip, prior to the weather turning for the worse.&nbsp;,Australia's young debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne were unbeaten at 14 and 2, respectively, when play was called off after 7.1 overs bowled.,The downpour arrived out of nowhere and the players had to run off the field as the ground staff rushed to get the covers on the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch.,Warner, who is returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury, showed intent in the opening exchanges but paid the price for chasing after a full, wide delivery from Siraj.&nbsp;,Meanwhile, Pucovski looked composed during the course of his stay in the middle so far.&nbsp;,Australia skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first.&nbsp;,For India, Rohit Sharma was included in the playing XI in place of Mayank Agarwal and paceman Navdeep Saini is making his debut with Umesh Yadav out injured.&nbsp;,Australia also named two changes, with Warner and Pucovski replacing Joe Bur

{\"time\":1610013977994,\"strCount\":1328,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Mohammed Siraj picked up the key wicket of David Warner early on the first day of the third Test in Sydney as play was stopped due to rain just seven overs with Australia at 21/1 on Thursday.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Siraj dismissed Warner (5) after forcing an edge from the southpaw in the fourth over of the match with Cheteshwar Pujara taking a regulation catch at first slip, prior to the weather turning for the worse.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia's young debutant Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne were unbeaten at 14 and 2, respectively, when play was called off after 7.1 overs bowled.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The downpour arrived out of nowhere and the players had to run off the field as the ground staff rushed to get the covers on the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Warner, who is returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to injury, showed intent in the opening exchanges but paid the price for chasing after a full, wide delivery from Siraj.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, Pucovski looked composed during the course of his stay in the middle so far.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"For India, Rohit Sharma was included in the playing XI in place of Mayank Agarwal and paceman Navdeep Saini is making his debut with Umesh Yadav out injured.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia also named two changes, with Warner and Pucovski replacing Joe Bur\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Rains stopped play on Day 1 of the Sydney Test after just 7.1 overs of play</li>
  <li>Will Pucovski and Marnus Labuschagne were unbeaten at 14 and 2, respectively</li>
  <li>Australia skipper Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first</li>
</ul>

3rd Test: Australia 21/1 at lunch as rains delay play, Siraj dismisses Warner

Melbourne VIC, Australia

Former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said that the batting of Tim Paine and company has been below par. He made this statement after Australia lost the Boxing Day Test versus Ajinkya Rahane's India on Day four. The Border-Gavaskar series now stands at 1-1. ,Criticising the batting display by the Australian team, Ponting mentioned the way 200 odd runs in an innings cannot win Test matches. The Kangaroo batsmen have managed only 586 runs in the three complete innings they've batted. According to these figures, Australia has lost a wicket at margins of 19.5 runs. ,While talking to <a href="http://cricket.com.au">cricket.com.au</a>, the three-time World Cup winning captain said,“It’s all about partnerships and they haven’t had any partnerships through the first couple of games. The cracks are probably painted over from Adelaide. (Australia) made 191 there, 195 and 200 here. That’s not batting in Test match cricket. And the worry I’ve got is how long it takes them to get those runs. That’s my issue.",He further mentioned that a run rate of two-and-a-half an over was poor. Not a single Aussie batsman could cross the 50-run mark in the second test match. Pointing asked the team to show character or like the 2018-19 tour, Paine will be seeing another series defeat at home.,“They’ve scored at two-and-a-half runs an over in Adelaide and here (in Melbourne) and they did (that) against India in the last series out here (and) that was also another losing series. They’ve got to show some more intent. They can’t be scared of getting out. They’ve got to go out there and bat and score runs and they’ve got to get them quicker than two-and-a-half runs an over because what we’ve seen from Adelaide to here, if they’re trying to apply themselves and bat for long periods of time they haven’t been good enough to do that. I think they need to have a good look at how they’re playing, a look at their personnel. They’ve got a lot of work to do. Whoever they pick in the next XI it’s going to be a great test of character for all of them.”,Ponting believes, Steve Smith– who has merely scored 10 runs in the series so far– and his protege Marnus Labuschagne will have to take more responsibility. The latter has gotten starts– reaching 40 runs twice in the two test matches– but has failed to score big runs. ,“We saw the last tour out here (in 2018-19) with Smith and Warner not being there how frail Australia looked then. Right now, Smith basically hasn’t been there, Warner hasn’t been there and Marnus has made a couple of 40s but had all sorts of luck and not been able to capitalise. It just goes to show how important they are," Ricky Ponting added. 

{\"time\":1609258563287,\"strCount\":2678,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said that the batting of Tim Paine and company has been below par. He made this statement after Australia lost the Boxing Day Test versus Ajinkya Rahane's India on Day four. The Border-Gavaskar series now stands at 1-1. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Criticising the batting display by the Australian team, Ponting mentioned the way 200 odd runs in an innings cannot win Test matches. The Kangaroo batsmen have managed only 586 runs in the three complete innings they've batted. According to these figures, Australia has lost a wicket at margins of 19.5 runs. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"While talking to <a href=\\\"http://cricket.com.au\\\">cricket.com.au</a>, the three-time World Cup winning captain said,“It’s all about partnerships and they haven’t had any partnerships through the first couple of games. The cracks are probably painted over from Adelaide. (Australia) made 191 there, 195 and 200 here. That’s not batting in Test match cricket. And the worry I’ve got is how long it takes them to get those runs. That’s my issue.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"He further mentioned that a run rate of two-and-a-half an over was poor. Not a single Aussie batsman could cross the 50-run mark in the second test match. Pointing asked the team to show character or like the 2018-19 tour, Paine will be seeing another series defeat at home.\"}},{\"type\":\"embed\",\"data\":{\"service\":\"twitter\",\"source\":\"https://twitter.com/RickyPonting/status/1343867528951463936\",\"embed\":\"RickyPonting/status/1343867528951463936\",\"width\":520,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"\",\"aspectRatio\":173.33333333333334}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“They’ve scored at two-and-a-half runs an over in Adelaide and here (in Melbourne) and they did (that) against India in the last series out here (and) that was also another losing series. They’ve got to show some more intent. They can’t be scared of getting out. They’ve got to go out there and bat and score runs and they’ve got to get them quicker than two-and-a-half runs an over because what we’ve seen from Adelaide to here, if they’re trying to apply themselves and bat for long periods of time they haven’t been good enough to do that. I think they need to have a good look at how they’re playing, a look at their personnel. They’ve got a lot of work to do. Whoever they pick in the next XI it’s going to be a great test of character for all of them.”\"}},{\"type\":\"list\",\"data\":{\"style\":\"ordered\",\"items\":[\"The Indian team defeated Australia by 8 wickets, staging the series at 1-1\",\"Steve Smith has managed eight runs in his last four innings versus India\",\"Ponting said that the Australian team should focus at scoring runs at a quicker rate\"]}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ponting believes, Steve Smith– who has merely scored 10 runs in the series so far– and his protege Marnus Labuschagne will have to take more responsibility. The latter has gotten starts– reaching 40 runs twice in the two test matches– but has failed to score big runs. \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"“We saw the last tour out here (in 2018-19) with Smith and Warner not being there how frail Australia looked then. Right now, Smith basically hasn’t been there, Warner hasn’t been there and Marnus has made a couple of 40s but had all sorts of luck and not been able to capitalise. It just goes to show how important they are,\\\" Ricky Ponting added. \"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>The Indian team defeated Australia by 8 wickets, staging the series at 1-1</li>
  <li>Steve Smith has managed eight runs in his last four innings versus India</li>
  <li>Ponting said that the Australian team should focus at scoring runs at a quicker rate</li>
</ul>

Third test vs India going to test 'the character' of Australia, Ricky Ponting believes

RickyPonting

Australia were bundled out for 195 in the first innings of the second Test at Melbourne on Saturday with Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah accounting for a combined seven wickets.&nbsp;&nbsp;,Debutant Mohammed Siraj also enjoyed a successful spell with Ravindra Jadeja also among the wickets as stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane used his options expertly to reduce the hosts to a lowly score.&nbsp;&nbsp;,Marnus Labuschagne (48 from 132) was top-scorer for Australia, with Steve Smith recording a <a href="https://opoyi.com/steve-smith-records-first-duck-against-india-in-international-cricket">rare failure at the MCG</a>, a ground where he averages 113.5. Smith recorded his first-ever duck against India in international cricket, which was also his first ever duck in the first innings of a Test match.&nbsp;,Desperate to bounce back after the debacle in Adelaide, India started brightly with Bumrah (4/56) sending Joe Burns back to the pavilion in just the fifth over of the match.&nbsp;,Ashwin (3/35) then weaved his magic to dismiss Matthew Wade (30 from 39) and Smith in quick succession. The veteran spinner drew Wade into coming down the pitch, who skied his effort with Jadeja completing a superb, running catch.&nbsp;,Ashwin then repeated his feat from Adelaide to dismiss Smith cheaply, extracting turn and bounce from the Melbourne pitch to get an edge from the Australian stalwart, with Cheteshwar Pujara taking a sharp, diving catch at leg slip.&nbsp;,Labuschagne and Head (38 from 92) looked to rebuild the innings and added 86 runs for the fourth wicket before Bumrah removed the latter after the lunch break.&nbsp;,<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href="https://opoyi.com/almost-disaster-ravindra-jadejas-cool-headed-catch-after-collision-with-shubman-gill">'Almost disaster': Ravindra Jadeja's cool-headed catch after collision with Shubman Gill</a>,Siraj (2/40) got lucky with his dismissal of Labuschagne, with the batsman flicking a wide delivery for Shubman Gill to take an impressive, low, diving catch at backward point.&nbsp;,Skipper Tim Paine (13 from 38) couldn't script a rescue act like Adelaide as a classical off-break from Ashwin saw him guide one straight into the hands of Hanuma Vihari at backward square leg.,A late flurry from Nathan Lyon (20 from 17) added precious few runs to the total, although Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja (1/15) polished off the tail in quick time.

{\"time\":1608967049753,\"strCount\":2404,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia were bundled out for 195 in the first innings of the second Test at Melbourne on Saturday with Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah accounting for a combined seven wickets.&nbsp;&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Debutant Mohammed Siraj also enjoyed a successful spell with Ravindra Jadeja also among the wickets as stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane used his options expertly to reduce the hosts to a lowly score.&nbsp;&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Marnus Labuschagne (48 from 132) was top-scorer for Australia, with Steve Smith recording a <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/steve-smith-records-first-duck-against-india-in-international-cricket-504343/\\\">rare failure at the MCG</a>, a ground where he averages 113.5. Smith recorded his first-ever duck against India in international cricket, which was also his first ever duck in the first innings of a Test match.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Desperate to bounce back after the debacle in Adelaide, India started brightly with Bumrah (4/56) sending Joe Burns back to the pavilion in just the fifth over of the match.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ashwin (3/35) then weaved his magic to dismiss Matthew Wade (30 from 39) and Smith in quick succession. The veteran spinner drew Wade into coming down the pitch, who skied his effort with Jadeja completing a superb, running catch.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Ashwin then repeated his feat from Adelaide to dismiss Smith cheaply, extracting turn and bounce from the Melbourne pitch to get an edge from the Australian stalwart, with Cheteshwar Pujara taking a sharp, diving catch at leg slip.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Labuschagne and Head (38 from 92) looked to rebuild the innings and added 86 runs for the fourth wicket before Bumrah removed the latter after the lunch break.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read |</b>&nbsp;<a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/almost-disaster-ravindra-jadejas-cool-headed-catch-after-collision-with-shubman-gill-269957/\\\">'Almost disaster': Ravindra Jadeja's cool-headed catch after collision with Shubman Gill</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Siraj (2/40) got lucky with his dismissal of Labuschagne, with the batsman flicking a wide delivery for Shubman Gill to take an impressive, low, diving catch at backward point.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Skipper Tim Paine (13 from 38) couldn't script a rescue act like Adelaide as a classical off-break from Ashwin saw him guide one straight into the hands of Hanuma Vihari at backward square leg.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"A late flurry from Nathan Lyon (20 from 17) added precious few runs to the total, although Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja (1/15) polished off the tail in quick time.\"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne top-scored for Australia with 48 from 132 deliveries</li>
  <li>Steve Smith registered his first-ever duck against India in international cricket</li>
  <li>Jasprit Bumrah finished with figures of 4/56</li>
</ul>

2nd Test: Ashwin, Bumrah shine as India bowl out Australia for 195

BoxingDay

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, who has been enjoying a meteoric rise of sorts, believes Steve Smith's hundred in the second ODI against India on Sunday was one of the very best and termed the former skipper's current form as 'scary'.,"That was one of the best innings I've seen in one-day cricket, not only from Steve but from anyone," said Labuschagne, who himself contributed with a solid 70 off 61 balls in the match, which Australia won by 51 runs on Sunday.,"I think the way he batted yesterday was superb. It almost felt like he didn't give an opportunity, didn't really take any risk, but he got a hundred off 62 balls," he said during an interview with PTI.,<b>ALSO READ | </b><a href="https://opoyi.com/steve-smith-powers-australia-to-389-with-a-scintillating-ton">Steve Smith powers Australia to 389 with a scintillating ton</a>,"When someone's doing that, that's kind of scary.",Talking about his partnership with Smith, he said,&nbsp;"It was really nice to build that partnership with him, 136, it was just nice to keep ticking it over and we were really busy through that middle part when we came together. Then towards the back end, Steve really took the game on and that's how we got 390.",With David Warner <a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-opener-david-warner-sidelined-with-groin-injury-to-miss-remaining-white-ball-series">ruled out</a> of the last ODI as well as the upcoming T20 Internationals, Labuschagne said he won't mind a chance to open the innings if he is asked to.,"Certainly, if I got asked to open the batting absolutely. It's an opportunity that I would enjoy taking. We'll wait and see how our team shapes up for the next game and see the balance of the side, but yeah, I would love doing it," the 26-year-old said.,"My role at No.4 is just to read the situation of the game and play my role accordingly," he said.,Answering how Warner is emotionally dealing with the injury setback that happened during the second ODI, Labuschagne insisted that he is fine.,"He is a strong character and he will come back. Also, his absence is an opportunity for someone else.",The South Africa-born too was handed his opportunity in similar circumstances when he came on as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in The Ashes 2019 and cemented his position in the Australian middle-order.&nbsp;,<b>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</b><a href="https://opoyi.com/virat-kohli-unimpressed-with-bowling-attack-says-india-completely-outplayed-in-2nd-odi">Virat Kohli unimpressed with bowling attack, says India 'completely outplayed' in 2nd ODI</a>,Talking about much-anticipated Test series, Labuschagne believes that the home team will enjoy a slight advantage going into it as most of Australia's top-order players will be coming in after having played a fair amount of first-class cricket.&nbsp;,"It definitely helps to have a few games under your belt just to get the pace and the timing of the game from T20s to one-dayers to four-day cricket," Labuschagne, who has&nbsp;scored two hundreds in three Sheffield Shield matches, said.,Meanwhile, the Indian players, who have been immersed only in white-ball cricket of late, last played in the longest version of the game back in New Zealand and will only have two three-day games to get into the groove.,"But a lot of these (Indian) players we're talking about, they've been doing it for a long time, they're not new to the changes of format. I'd be surprised if they didn't shift back into gear very quickly.","I will say that it's a slight advantage, four out of our top six have been playing Shield cricket and got that rhythm as a batting group." ,Referring to Steve Smith's form, Labuschagne said it is something that will obviously help Australia in the Test series.,<b>Also Read:&nbsp;</b><a href="https://opoyi.com/australian-opener-david-warner-sidelined-with-groin-injury-to-miss-remaining-white-ball-series">Australian opener David Warner sidelined with groin injury, to miss remaining white ball series</a>,"Cricket's a massive confidence game and even though it's a different format, it still gives you a lot of confidence when you're scoring runs consistently and the way Steve (Smith) and Davey (Warner) are batting currently, I've got no doubt they'll be able to transfer that into the Test summer.","But right now there's still a lot of games to be played before that, we've just got to make sure we finish this one-day series well and then straight into the T20s where we start really well." 

{\"time\":1606717488893,\"strCount\":4468,\"blocks\":[{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, who has been enjoying a meteoric rise of sorts, believes Steve Smith's hundred in the second ODI against India on Sunday was one of the very best and termed the former skipper's current form as 'scary'.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"That was one of the best innings I've seen in one-day cricket, not only from Steve but from anyone,\\\" said Labuschagne, who himself contributed with a solid 70 off 61 balls in the match, which Australia won by 51 runs on Sunday.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I think the way he batted yesterday was superb. It almost felt like he didn't give an opportunity, didn't really take any risk, but he got a hundred off 62 balls,\\\" he said during an interview with PTI.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>ALSO READ | </b><a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/india/steve-smith-powers-australia-to-389-with-a-scintillating-ton-661755/\\\">Steve Smith powers Australia to 389 with a scintillating ton</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"When someone's doing that, that's kind of scary.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Talking about his partnership with Smith, he said,&nbsp;\\\"It was really nice to build that partnership with him, 136, it was just nice to keep ticking it over and we were really busy through that middle part when we came together. Then towards the back end, Steve really took the game on and that's how we got 390.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"With David Warner <a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/australian-opener-david-warner-sidelined-with-groin-injury-to-miss-remaining-white-ball-series-221439/\\\">ruled out</a> of the last ODI as well as the upcoming T20 Internationals, Labuschagne said he won't mind a chance to open the innings if he is asked to.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Certainly, if I got asked to open the batting absolutely. It's an opportunity that I would enjoy taking. We'll wait and see how our team shapes up for the next game and see the balance of the side, but yeah, I would love doing it,\\\" the 26-year-old said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"My role at No.4 is just to read the situation of the game and play my role accordingly,\\\" he said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Answering how Warner is emotionally dealing with the injury setback that happened during the second ODI, Labuschagne insisted that he is fine.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"He is a strong character and he will come back. Also, his absence is an opportunity for someone else.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"The South Africa-born too was handed his opportunity in similar circumstances when he came on as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in The Ashes 2019 and cemented his position in the Australian middle-order.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>ALSO READ |&nbsp;</b><a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/virat-kohli-unimpressed-with-bowling-attack-says-india-completely-outplayed-in-2nd-odi-675675/\\\">Virat Kohli unimpressed with bowling attack, says India 'completely outplayed' in 2nd ODI</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Talking about much-anticipated Test series, Labuschagne believes that the home team will enjoy a slight advantage going into it as most of Australia's top-order players will be coming in after having played a fair amount of first-class cricket.&nbsp;\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"It definitely helps to have a few games under your belt just to get the pace and the timing of the game from T20s to one-dayers to four-day cricket,\\\" Labuschagne, who has&nbsp;scored two hundreds in three Sheffield Shield matches, said.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Meanwhile, the Indian players, who have been immersed only in white-ball cricket of late, last played in the longest version of the game back in New Zealand and will only have two three-day games to get into the groove.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"But a lot of these (Indian) players we're talking about, they've been doing it for a long time, they're not new to the changes of format. I'd be surprised if they didn't shift back into gear very quickly.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"I will say that it's a slight advantage, four out of our top six have been playing Shield cricket and got that rhythm as a batting group.\\\" \"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"Referring to Steve Smith's form, Labuschagne said it is something that will obviously help Australia in the Test series.\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"<b>Also Read:&nbsp;</b><a href=\\\"https://opoyi.com/sports/australian-opener-david-warner-sidelined-with-groin-injury-to-miss-remaining-white-ball-series-221439/\\\">Australian opener David Warner sidelined with groin injury, to miss remaining white ball series</a>\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"Cricket's a massive confidence game and even though it's a different format, it still gives you a lot of confidence when you're scoring runs consistently and the way Steve (Smith) and Davey (Warner) are batting currently, I've got no doubt they'll be able to transfer that into the Test summer.\\\"\"}},{\"type\":\"paragraph\",\"data\":{\"text\":\"\\\"But right now there's still a lot of games to be played before that, we've just got to make sure we finish this one-day series well and then straight into the T20s where we start really well.\\\" \"}}]}

<ul>
  <li>Marnus Labuschagne said Steve Smith's current form was 'scary'</li>
  <li>With David Warner injured, the 26-year-old said we wouldn't mind opening the innings</li>
  <li>Having played first-class cricket, Australian players will enjoy a slight advantage in Tests, he said</li>
</ul>

#MarnusLabuschagne