Cricket

India were dismissed for 36, their lowest total in Test history. Their previous lowest was 42 at Lord's in England, back in 1974. The former India captain was part of the India team that was shot out for 42 by England at Lord's over 46 years ago.

The Aussies were fortunate to get a run-out with Kohli caught out of crease at the non-striker's end after Rahane pulled back an erroneous call for a run. Josh Hazlewood swooped on the ball at cover and sent it back to off-spinner Nathan Lyon who whipped the bails off to send Kohli back.

Ponting, who was in the commentary box for 7 cricket when play began in the pink-ball Test, explained how Shaw has a tendency to leave a gap between his bat and pad while playing in-coming deliveries. The left-arm quick bowled a full in-swinging delivery outside the off-stump and Shaw went for a drive. The ball, however, got an inside edge and went on to hit the stumps, thus sending the Indian opener back to the dressing room for a golden duck.

India had already announced their playing XI on Wednesday for the pink-ball Test, choosing Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal as openers. This is the only Test that Kohli would be playing in the series as he will return to India to be with his wife Anushka Sharma who is expecting their first child. Australia have gone with Joe Burns and Matthew Wade as openers. Also, all-rounder Cameron Green makes his Test debut for the hosts.

Back in 2018, when India toured South Africa and England, skipper Virat Kohli's strategy of playing five specialist batsmen and five bowlers, in order to be able to pick 20 wickets and win Tests, came under scrutiny after his team lost both those overseas series with that combination.

The World Cup League 2 ODIs will return on March 19, 2021 when Oman host US and Nepal in the sixth series of League 2. Six ODIs will be played in the series with Oman currently sitting top of the table on 16 points with the US four points behind in the standings. There will be 96 ODIs played across the 14 series that are scheduled to be played in 2021 and 2022 respectively and the remaining two in early 2023.

The right-handed batsman, who has six centuries in 12 Tests in Australia, hinted that KL Rahul, who has opened in the past, can play at any position and also confirmed that Rohit Sharma will open once he re-joins the team in the later part of the series.

There has been speculation about India planning to bowl short to Smith in the series after the Aussie batsman had struggled with it during the previous summer against New Zealand's Neil Wagner. Smith had earlier said that no other bowler can bowl short deliveries as well as Wagner does and he is not worried at all.

The 57-year-old said that India will miss Kohli once he returns after the first Test and felt Rohit Sharma should replace him in the playing eleven for the last two Tests. India will have to play the second Test without either of the two as Rohit will be in quarantine.

Kohli has displaced New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson at the second spot in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen. India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has also entered the top 10 list. Cheteshwar Pujara has maintained his seventh spot in the list currently led by Australia's Steve Smith.