Cheteshwar Pujara fell perilously short of a maiden Test double-hundred in Australia but made sure his 193 put India firmly in the driver's seat on the second day of the fourth and final Test at Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.
He is winning the battle of the wicketkeepers in the best way possible: by let his bat do the talking
South African captain Faf du Plessis is unhappy about the timing of the IPL this year and has called it a major ‘concern’ with regards to keeping his bowlers fresh and fit for the World Cup in England in May.
"As far as I'm concerned, this batting group through this series has made way too many mistakes. Technical, mental, whatever those mistakes may be, they’ve made a lot of mistakes."
Australian skipper Tim Paine proved he still had a sense of humour despite a gruelling day in the field Friday, gamefully answering a journalist's phone during a live press conference.
“Easier time to score on wickets abroad is between 25-30 overs to 80 overs, but you need to survive till that time, that’s why he is so essential for the team. People who can play our bowlers bowling good spells and blunts the new balls, that’s the role Pujara can play. For Test matches, he is doing what is needed, I don’t think he will change in the future as well, people will regret talking against him in the future.”
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has said he will continue playing for the Adelaide Strikers for the remainder of the Big Bash League despite the death of his father, declaring that the whole of Australia was his family.