Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Australia, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/historic-india-win-maiden-test-series-in-australia-188678">beaten for the first time in a home Test series against India</a>, are "kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Steve Smith and David Warner come back".&nbsp;

In his column for 'The Daily Telegraph' following India's maiden Test series triumph Down Under, Vaughan wrote that Australia's issues run far deeper than the absence of suspended Smith and Warner.&nbsp;

"If you think Australia's problems will be solved the moment Steve Smith and David Warner are available for selection again then you are wrong... Batting, bowling, selection and tactics were poor against India, and Australia have to admit they were just not good enough," wrote Vaughan.&nbsp;

"Clearly, if you take the two best players out of any team they will struggle. But losing Smith and Warner is an easy excuse to hide behind.&nbsp;

India were beaten 4-1 in English conditions last summer, although the matches were closer than the final score suggests, but would have beaten Australia 3-1 had it not rained in Sydney for the last two days."&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/not-indias-fault-that-steve-smith-and-david-warner-were-not-picked-sunil-gavaskar-slams-critics-188822">Not India's fault that Steve Smith and David Warner were not picked: Sunil Gavaskar slams critics</a>

Considering the current scenario, Vaughan can't see Australia beating England in the away Ashes to be held after the 2019 World Cup.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"...Unless they assess themselves brutally. Batting techniques have to be better and they need to be more consistent with the ball. Every facet of their Test team has to improve. They are kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Smith and Warner come back.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"On flat, good batting pitches, Australia really struggled as it is on those tracks that weaknesses are highlighted. A batting unit's defences are tested because it is necessary to bat for long periods. They look like a team who can score 250-300, and that is good enough on sporting pitches, but not when it is flat."&nbsp;

Improvement is also needed in the bowling department, reckoned Vaughan.&nbsp;

"The bowling is not as good as they think. They are very good when conditions are in their favour or well ahead in the game. But there is room for them to become a much more skilful and consistent bowling attack.&nbsp;

"For the Ashes this summer, Australia have to look at breaking up Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. They need a more skilful bowler, such as a Peter Siddle or Trent Copeland. They need someone who can match England's consistency and skill with the Duke ball and bowl the fuller length," he said.&nbsp;

Vaughan said the support staff must be blamed for the below-par bowling performance.&nbsp;

"A ridiculously low percentage of balls bowled by Australia against India were going on to hit the stumps. They took only one wicket lbw in the whole series.&nbsp;

"The bowlers and the coaching staff have to take the blame for that and ask how they can improve. To beat England in England, they have to bowl more intelligently," he added.&nbsp;

Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Australia, beaten for the first time in a home Test series against India, are "kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Steve Smith and David Warner come back".

Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Australia, beaten for the first time in a home Test series against India, are "kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Steve Smith and David Warner come back". In his column for 'The Daily Telegraph' following India's maiden Test series triumph Down Under, Vaughan wrote that Australia's issues run far deeper than the absence of suspended Smith and Warner. "If you think Australia's problems will be solved the moment Steve Smith and David Warner are available for selection again then you are wrong... Batting, bowling, selection and tactics were poor against India, and Australia have to admit they were just not good enough," wrote Vaughan. "Clearly, if you take the two best players out of any team they will struggle. But losing Smith and Warner is an easy excuse to hide behind. India were beaten 4-1 in English conditions last summer, although the matches were closer than the final score suggests, but would have beaten Australia 3-1 had it not rained in Sydney for the last two days." Also Read: Not India's fault that Steve Smith and David Warner were not picked: Sunil Gavaskar slams critics Considering the current scenario, Vaughan can't see Australia beating England in the away Ashes to be held after the 2019 World Cup. "...Unless they assess themselves brutally. Batting techniques have to be better and they need to be more consistent with the ball. Every facet of their Test team has to improve. They are kidding themselves if they think everything will be rosy when Smith and Warner come back. "On flat, good batting pitches, Australia really struggled as it is on those tracks that weaknesses are highlighted. A batting unit's defences are tested because it is necessary to bat for long periods. They look like a team who can score 250-300, and that is good enough on sporting pitches, but not when it is flat." Improvement is also needed in the bowling department, reckoned Vaughan. "The bowling is not as good as they think. They are very good when conditions are in their favour or well ahead in the game. But there is room for them to become a much more skilful and consistent bowling attack. "For the Ashes this summer, Australia have to look at breaking up Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. They need a more skilful bowler, such as a Peter Siddle or Trent Copeland. They need someone who can match England's consistency and skill with the Duke ball and bowl the fuller length," he said. Vaughan said the support staff must be blamed for the below-par bowling performance. "A ridiculously low percentage of balls bowled by Australia against India were going on to hit the stumps. They took only one wicket lbw in the whole series. "The bowlers and the coaching staff have to take the blame for that and ask how they can improve. To beat England in England, they have to bowl more intelligently," he added.

Aussies kidding themselves if they think all will be rosy when Steve Smith, David Warner return: Michael Vaughan

While <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Virat+Kohli">Virat Kohli</a>'s historic success in Australia has been greeted with jubilation in India, it has also sparked a feverish debate: is he even better than the nation's cricket god <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Sachin+Tendulkar">Sachin Tendulkar</a>?

Kohli, the world's top-ranked batsman in all three formats of the game, on Monday led India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia, after seven decades of trying.

Already known as "King Kohli" before the tour, there are those who say the Indian captain deserves promotion.

But his Test teammates Hardik Pandya and Lokesh Rahul were mercilessly trolled on Indian social media after saying on a TV chat show that Kohli was a better batsman than Tendulkar.&nbsp;

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-aus-by-far-my-best-achievement-says-kohli-after-maiden-test-victory-in-australia-188699">'By far my best achievement,' says Kohli after maiden Test victory in Australia</a>

The pair were blasted for being "pathetic" and "cringeworthy" by Twitter users in a mass tirade.&nbsp;

While Tendulkar has maintained a god-like status in the Indian public's eye since his retirement in 2013, he never managed to guide India to a Test series win in Australia.&nbsp;

Kohli, 30, was born a year before Tendulkar made his India debut in 1989. He is the run machine of modern cricket with more 19,000 runs in Test, one-day and T20 games. He last year became the fastest to reach 10,000 runs in 50-over internationals -- beating Tendulkar's record.

Kohli's biographer Vijay Lokapally said there should not be a comparison between players of different generations, but hailed Kohli's achievements.

"As a captain he sets an example with his fitness, his batting and his leadership," Lokapally told AFP.

"His batting is absolutely top class. He doesn't need a certificate from anyone. And there is no better person to lead the Indian team in any format."

He added: "As far as comparisons go, I think it's unfair to disregard the efforts of former players like Vijay Hazare or Sunil Gavaskar and compare eras.

"Gavaskar was a star of his times, Tendulkar ruled his era and Kohli is the new generation star. So they are all champions in their own place."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Pandya and Rahul set off hostilities with Tendulkar fans in their off-the-cuff comments on Indian television aired Sunday.

Tendulkar had been named as the best batsman by a string of luminaries including Don Bradman, Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar, one Twitter user noted in response. "Every true cricket fan knows who is best!"

Praise from Pakistan

Few doubt however that Kohli has given the world's number one Test nation an even stronger dominance by completing the 2-1 series win in Australia.

World Cup-winning Kohli rated the triumph his "best achievement" so far, and Indian papers hailed the captain for his "Thunder Down Under".

The Times of India newspaper headlined its report "The Reign Men", while the Hindustan Times said "This win will make India invincible", headlining the opinion of their columnist Ian Chappell.

Even Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan congratulated India on their historic achievement.&nbsp;

"Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia," the former cricketer wrote on his party's Twitter account.

India coach Ravi Shastri said Kohli's leadership skills had "made all the difference" but sought to shoot down all references to deities.

"This is not a team of gods and demigods, seniors or juniors. This is an Indian cricket team that will readily jump off a cliff to win a match for the country," said Shastri.

While Virat Kohli's historic success in Australia has been greeted with jubilation in India, it has also sparked a feverish debate: is he even better than the nation's cricket god Sachin Tendulkar?

While Virat Kohli's historic success in Australia has been greeted with jubilation in India, it has also sparked a feverish debate: is he even better than the nation's cricket god Sachin Tendulkar? Kohli, the world's top-ranked batsman in all three formats of the game, on Monday led India to their first-ever Test series win in Australia, after seven decades of trying. Already known as "King Kohli" before the tour, there are those who say the Indian captain deserves promotion. But his Test teammates Hardik Pandya and Lokesh Rahul were mercilessly trolled on Indian social media after saying on a TV chat show that Kohli was a better batsman than Tendulkar. Watch: 'By far my best achievement,' says Kohli after maiden Test victory in Australia The pair were blasted for being "pathetic" and "cringeworthy" by Twitter users in a mass tirade. While Tendulkar has maintained a god-like status in the Indian public's eye since his retirement in 2013, he never managed to guide India to a Test series win in Australia. Kohli, 30, was born a year before Tendulkar made his India debut in 1989. He is the run machine of modern cricket with more 19,000 runs in Test, one-day and T20 games. He last year became the fastest to reach 10,000 runs in 50-over internationals -- beating Tendulkar's record. Kohli's biographer Vijay Lokapally said there should not be a comparison between players of different generations, but hailed Kohli's achievements. "As a captain he sets an example with his fitness, his batting and his leadership," Lokapally told AFP. "His batting is absolutely top class. He doesn't need a certificate from anyone. And there is no better person to lead the Indian team in any format." He added: "As far as comparisons go, I think it's unfair to disregard the efforts of former players like Vijay Hazare or Sunil Gavaskar and compare eras. "Gavaskar was a star of his times, Tendulkar ruled his era and Kohli is the new generation star. So they are all champions in their own place." Pandya and Rahul set off hostilities with Tendulkar fans in their off-the-cuff comments on Indian television aired Sunday. Tendulkar had been named as the best batsman by a string of luminaries including Don Bradman, Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar, one Twitter user noted in response. "Every true cricket fan knows who is best!" Praise from Pakistan Few doubt however that Kohli has given the world's number one Test nation an even stronger dominance by completing the 2-1 series win in Australia. World Cup-winning Kohli rated the triumph his "best achievement" so far, and Indian papers hailed the captain for his "Thunder Down Under". The Times of India newspaper headlined its report "The Reign Men", while the Hindustan Times said "This win will make India invincible", headlining the opinion of their columnist Ian Chappell. Even Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan congratulated India on their historic achievement. "Congratulations to Virat Kohli and the Indian cricket team for the first ever win by a subcontinent team in a test series in Australia," the former cricketer wrote on his party's Twitter account. India coach Ravi Shastri said Kohli's leadership skills had "made all the difference" but sought to shoot down all references to deities. "This is not a team of gods and demigods, seniors or juniors. This is an Indian cricket team that will readily jump off a cliff to win a match for the country," said Shastri.

Is Virat Kohli really better than Sachin Tendulkar? Nation wants to know

Team India achieved the momentous Test series win on Australian soil since India started touring&nbsp;Australia in 1947-48. The Virat Kohli-led team clinched the series 2-1 after a 71-year wait.

After the fourth and final weather-affected match at the Sydney Cricket Ground finished in a draw, Team India accomplished what former Indian teams were unable to do. With a great performance in both batting and bowling departments, Team India justified their No-1 status in Test ranking.&nbsp;

Despite Cheteshwar Pujara's classic show throughout the series, the rising star was, no doubt, Rishabh Pant.&nbsp;

From on-field banters to hitting an unbeaten century, the 21-year-old gutsy Pant proved that he is the one for the future. Pant, who possesses a good sense of humour, enjoyed a colourful Test series and remained in the headlines.&nbsp;

This Test series will definitely be an important landmark in his career.&nbsp;

Pant scripted history when he became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia. He scored an unbeaten 159 off 189 balls at Sydney to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test. It was the highest score by an Asian wicket-keeper outside sub-continent. With a total of 350, he was also the second highest run-getter after Pujara in Australia.&nbsp;

Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/rishabh-pant-attains-career-best-icc-test-ranking-surpasses-dhoni-and-equals-farokh-engineers-feat-188968">Rishabh Pant attains career-best ICC Test ranking, surpasses Dhoni and equals Farokh Engineer’s feat</a>

Besides batting, Pant impressed with his gloves too as he broke the record for most catches - 20 - by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series.&nbsp;

When Indian lower batting order struggled to score runs, Pant came at the seventh spot, quickly got into the groove and struck some crisp shots to contribute crucial runs for the team lower down the order.&nbsp;

The type of game Pant has displayed Down Under, has inspired youngsters and fulfilled what is required to build a stronger team.&nbsp;

In his Test debut year, Pant has scored a Test hundred each in England and Australia within months and scored a total of 696 runs.&nbsp;

Apart from Tests, Pant has been outstanding so far in Indian Premier League (IPL) as he scored 1,248 runs in 38 matches with a strike rate of 162.71 and in T20 Internationals he has played 10 matches and amassed 157 runs.&nbsp;

However, Pant is yet to prove himself in the one-day format since he has played just three ODIs scoring 41 runs.&nbsp;

Moreover, he is the top contender to be India's permanent wicket-keeper in all formats of the game when MS Dhoni bids goodbye to ODIs having already pulled out from Tests.

Now, the real "test" for selectors is whether to pick Pant in the World Cup, maybe the upcoming ODI series against Australia and New Zealand will decide where Dhoni will be under the scanner.

May the best man win.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Team India achieved the momentous Test series win on Australian soil since India started touring Australia in 1947-48. The Virat Kohli-led team clinched the series 2-1 after a 71-year wait.

Team India achieved the momentous Test series win on Australian soil since India started touring Australia in 1947-48. The Virat Kohli-led team clinched the series 2-1 after a 71-year wait. After the fourth and final weather-affected match at the Sydney Cricket Ground finished in a draw, Team India accomplished what former Indian teams were unable to do. With a great performance in both batting and bowling departments, Team India justified their No-1 status in Test ranking. Despite Cheteshwar Pujara's classic show throughout the series, the rising star was, no doubt, Rishabh Pant. From on-field banters to hitting an unbeaten century, the 21-year-old gutsy Pant proved that he is the one for the future. Pant, who possesses a good sense of humour, enjoyed a colourful Test series and remained in the headlines. This Test series will definitely be an important landmark in his career. Pant scripted history when he became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a century in Australia. He scored an unbeaten 159 off 189 balls at Sydney to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test. It was the highest score by an Asian wicket-keeper outside sub-continent. With a total of 350, he was also the second highest run-getter after Pujara in Australia. Also Read: Rishabh Pant attains career-best ICC Test ranking, surpasses Dhoni and equals Farokh Engineer’s feat Besides batting, Pant impressed with his gloves too as he broke the record for most catches - 20 - by an Indian wicketkeeper in a Test series. When Indian lower batting order struggled to score runs, Pant came at the seventh spot, quickly got into the groove and struck some crisp shots to contribute crucial runs for the team lower down the order. The type of game Pant has displayed Down Under, has inspired youngsters and fulfilled what is required to build a stronger team. In his Test debut year, Pant has scored a Test hundred each in England and Australia within months and scored a total of 696 runs. Apart from Tests, Pant has been outstanding so far in Indian Premier League (IPL) as he scored 1,248 runs in 38 matches with a strike rate of 162.71 and in T20 Internationals he has played 10 matches and amassed 157 runs. However, Pant is yet to prove himself in the one-day format since he has played just three ODIs scoring 41 runs. Moreover, he is the top contender to be India's permanent wicket-keeper in all formats of the game when MS Dhoni bids goodbye to ODIs having already pulled out from Tests. Now, the real "test" for selectors is whether to pick Pant in the World Cup, maybe the upcoming ODI series against Australia and New Zealand will decide where Dhoni will be under the scanner. May the best man win. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

ICC World Cup 2019: Who should keep wickets for India, Rishabh Pant or MS Dhoni

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant attained new highs in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after his superb century in the drawn final Test against Australia in Sydney took him to 17th place, on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The 21-year-old left-handed batsman gained 21 slots to share the space with legendary Farokh Engineer, who did so in January 1973.

Pant's aggregate of 673 rating points are the highest by an Indian wicket-keeper, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni having the next highest aggregate of 662 points and Engineer 619 points.&nbsp;

Dhoni's highest Test ranking was 19th.

Pant moved into the top-20 only his ninth Test match with an unbeaten 159. Pant had started the Australia tour in 59th place and made rapid progress, scoring 350 runs in a series that also saw him take 20 catches.

Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 521 runs to help beat Australia 2-1 and claim the player of the series award, is another batsman to gain in the latest rankings update.

Pujara has gained one slot to reach third position while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (up six places to 57th) and rookie opener Mayank Agarwal (up five places to 62nd) are the others from his team to advance at the end of a historic series win.

Among bowlers, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav gained seven slots to reach a career-best 45th position after registering figures of five for 99 in Australia's first innings in the fourth Test. &nbsp;

Jasprit Bumrah has held on to 16th position and Mohammed Shami has gained one place to take the 22nd slot.

Jadeja has gained one place to reach fifth among bowlers and has also leapfrogged Windies captain Jason Holder into second place among all-rounders.

For Australia, opener Marcus Harris has advanced 21 places to take a career-best 69th position after a fine 79 in the first innings while off-spinner Nathan Lyon has inched up from 14th to 13th position. 
&nbsp;

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant attained new highs in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after his superb century in the drawn final Test against Australia in Sydney took him to 17th place, on Tuesday.

India's wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant attained new highs in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings after his superb century in the drawn final Test against Australia in Sydney took him to 17th place, on Tuesday. The 21-year-old left-handed batsman gained 21 slots to share the space with legendary Farokh Engineer, who did so in January 1973. Pant's aggregate of 673 rating points are the highest by an Indian wicket-keeper, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni having the next highest aggregate of 662 points and Engineer 619 points. Dhoni's highest Test ranking was 19th. Pant moved into the top-20 only his ninth Test match with an unbeaten 159. Pant had started the Australia tour in 59th place and made rapid progress, scoring 350 runs in a series that also saw him take 20 catches. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 521 runs to help beat Australia 2-1 and claim the player of the series award, is another batsman to gain in the latest rankings update. Pujara has gained one slot to reach third position while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (up six places to 57th) and rookie opener Mayank Agarwal (up five places to 62nd) are the others from his team to advance at the end of a historic series win. Among bowlers, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav gained seven slots to reach a career-best 45th position after registering figures of five for 99 in Australia's first innings in the fourth Test. Jasprit Bumrah has held on to 16th position and Mohammed Shami has gained one place to take the 22nd slot. Jadeja has gained one place to reach fifth among bowlers and has also leapfrogged Windies captain Jason Holder into second place among all-rounders. For Australia, opener Marcus Harris has advanced 21 places to take a career-best 69th position after a fine 79 in the first innings while off-spinner Nathan Lyon has inched up from 14th to 13th position.

Rishabh Pant attains career-best ICC Test ranking, surpasses Dhoni and equals Farokh Engineer’s feat

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/historic-india-win-maiden-test-series-in-australia-188678">India ended a 71-year wait for a Test series victory in Australia</a> on Monday.&nbsp;Their 2-1 victory Down Under was confirmed when the rain-affected fourth and final test ended in a draw at Sydney Cricket Ground.&nbsp;

Wins in the first test in Adelaide and third in Melbourne ensured they could not lose the series and their batsmen, led by a 193 from Cheteshwar Pujara, batted Australia out of the fourth match with a daunting 622-7 declared total in the first innings.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/india-vs-australia-list-of-records-made-on-day-2-of-sydney-test-188237">Australia </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/india-vs-australia-list-of-records-made-on-day-2-of-sydney-test-188237">were</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/india-vs-australia-list-of-records-made-on-day-2-of-sydney-test-188237"> all-out for 300 in their first inning</a>, which witnessed the hosts&nbsp;follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years.

Kohli, who is on cloud nine, kissed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and termed the victory as his best achievement by far.

"I've never been more proud of a team than this one. The culture we've been able to build over the last 12 months. Our transition started here when I became the captain for the first time. Only one word to say, I'm proud. To lead these players is an honour and a privilege. They make the captain look good."&nbsp;

By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional."

When asked what importance does this victory hold for the Indian cricket team, Kohli said, "This series will give us a different identity as a team. What we've been able to achieve is something to be really proud of. That's something that we spoke about, just wanted to go back to basics, not be flamboyant."

Kohli also gave a special mention to Cheteshwar Pujara, who played some remarkable innings, saying he's one guy always willing to accept things. He's the nicest man around.&nbsp;

Kohli also gave a special mention to Mayank Agarwal, who started his international career with a brilliant half-century in the first inning followed by a crucial 42 runs in his second inning in the third Test against Australia.

In India's first inning in the fourth Test also, Mayank hit his second International fifty. He made 77 runs which included seven boundaries and two huge sixes.

Kohli also praised his bowling line saying the way the bowlers have dictated terms in this series and the previous two tours as well, he has not seen that happen in Indian cricket.&nbsp;

"It's a revelation for Indian cricket and learning for the other bowlers back home. They definitely deserve to be here and breaking record of the great West Indian fast bowlers is no mean feat. Definitely, this is just the stepping stone for us. The average age in the team is quite low. The most important thing for us have been belief. Our intent has always been good, and that is to take Indian cricket forward", Kohli concluded.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Australian skipper Tim Paine congratulated Virat and coach Ravi Shastri, saying the current Indian team have got some talent.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

India ended a 71-year wait for a Test series victory in Australia on Monday. Their 2-1 victory Down Under was confirmed when the rain-affected fourth and final test ended in a draw at Sydney Cricket Ground.

India ended a 71-year wait for a Test series victory in Australia on Monday. Their 2-1 victory Down Under was confirmed when the rain-affected fourth and final test ended in a draw at Sydney Cricket Ground. Wins in the first test in Adelaide and third in Melbourne ensured they could not lose the series and their batsmen, led by a 193 from Cheteshwar Pujara, batted Australia out of the fourth match with a daunting 622-7 declared total in the first innings. Australia were all-out for 300 in their first inning, which witnessed the hosts follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years. Kohli, who is on cloud nine, kissed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and termed the victory as his best achievement by far. "I've never been more proud of a team than this one. The culture we've been able to build over the last 12 months. Our transition started here when I became the captain for the first time. Only one word to say, I'm proud. To lead these players is an honour and a privilege. They make the captain look good." By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional." When asked what importance does this victory hold for the Indian cricket team, Kohli said, "This series will give us a different identity as a team. What we've been able to achieve is something to be really proud of. That's something that we spoke about, just wanted to go back to basics, not be flamboyant." Kohli also gave a special mention to Cheteshwar Pujara, who played some remarkable innings, saying he's one guy always willing to accept things. He's the nicest man around. Kohli also gave a special mention to Mayank Agarwal, who started his international career with a brilliant half-century in the first inning followed by a crucial 42 runs in his second inning in the third Test against Australia. In India's first inning in the fourth Test also, Mayank hit his second International fifty. He made 77 runs which included seven boundaries and two huge sixes. Kohli also praised his bowling line saying the way the bowlers have dictated terms in this series and the previous two tours as well, he has not seen that happen in Indian cricket. "It's a revelation for Indian cricket and learning for the other bowlers back home. They definitely deserve to be here and breaking record of the great West Indian fast bowlers is no mean feat. Definitely, this is just the stepping stone for us. The average age in the team is quite low. The most important thing for us have been belief. Our intent has always been good, and that is to take Indian cricket forward", Kohli concluded. Meanwhile, Australian skipper Tim Paine congratulated Virat and coach Ravi Shastri, saying the current Indian team have got some talent.

Watch: 'By far my best achievement,' says Kohli after maiden Test victory in Australia

Incessant drizzling ruin the start of the fifth day game between India vs Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.&nbsp;

Only 27.3 overs were possible on the fourth day which witnessed Australia follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years. On day 4 the first session was declared washed out due to bad light and rain and it seems the case will be the same today also.

Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break.

Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared.

The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia.

Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

Incessant drizzling ruin the start of the fifth day game between India vs Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. Only 27.3 overs were possible on the fourth day which witnessed Australia follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years.

Incessant drizzling ruin the start of the fifth day game between India vs Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. Only 27.3 overs were possible on the fourth day which witnessed Australia follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years. On day 4 the first session was declared washed out due to bad light and rain and it seems the case will be the same today also. Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break. Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared. The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia. Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

IND vs AUS: Rain continues to mar fifth day's play, Aus 6/0

Virat Kohli-led team achieved&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/historic-india-win-maiden-test-series-in-australia-188678">Test series victory</a>&nbsp;on Australian soil since India started touring to Australia in 1947-48 as they clinched the series 2-1 after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After winning the historic Test series Virat said, "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, former and current players along with administrators hailed the series win on various platforms.&nbsp;

Following are the reactions:

Sachin Tendulkar 
An amazing day for Indian cricket! The resilience and determination of #TeamIndia has made this a series to be cherished. Proud of the boys. Has been a wonderful series where the younger and senior players shared responsibilities to achieve something special. @Rishabpant777, who has gone from strength to strength and @imkuldeep18 are definitely ones to watch out for.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
An amazing day for Indian cricket! The resilience and determination of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> has made this a series to be cherished. Proud of the boys. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/qPPXhYnKzM">pic.twitter.com/qPPXhYnKzM</a>
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1082179058069254145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Bishan Singh Bedi 
Kudos to Team Ind fr recovering lot of (sic) lost ground in (sic) Sth Afr/Eng-truly remarkable feat-beating Aust fr 1st time in (sic) their own backyard-2 guys @cheteshwar1 &amp; @Jaspritbumrah93 personified consistency-all playing X1's gr8 resolve/determination helped cross the Rubicon..Congrats All!

VVS Laxman 
Many congratulations #TeamIndia on this historic series win in Australia. It took a complete Team effort from every member of the side and it gives such an immense sense of satisfaction and joy to see what the boys have done on the field. Let's cherish this special series win

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Many congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> on this historic series win in Australia. It took a complete Team effort from every member of the side and it gives such an immense sense of satisfaction and joy to see what the boys have done on the field. Let’s cherish this special series win <a href="https://t.co/QFj7oJg47i">pic.twitter.com/QFj7oJg47i</a>
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) <a href="https://twitter.com/VVSLaxman281/status/1082152051768020992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Virender Sehwag 
Congratulations #TeamIndia for this memorable win. Every cricket lover in India will be very proud of this one and a special effort by every member in the Team to ensure this result.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> for this memorable win. Every cricket lover in India will be very proud of this one and a special effort by every member in the Team to ensure this result. <a href="https://t.co/GLUaQgLt4S">pic.twitter.com/GLUaQgLt4S</a>
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag/status/1082150021594836992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Harbhajan Singh 
Proud of you guys Well done Team India for winning the test series in Australia.. Congratulations @cheteshwar1 for winning MOS u (sic) been a backbone of indian batting line up.. Keep it up @BCCI bowling wise @Jaspritbumrah93 has been phenomenal..Love ur work

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Proud of you guys🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳..Well done Team India for winning the test series in Australia.. congratulations <a href="https://twitter.com/cheteshwar1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cheteshwar1</a> for winning MOS u been a backbone of indian batting line up.. keep it up 🔥🏏<a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a> bowling wise <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaspritbumrah93?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jaspritbumrah93</a> has been phenomenal..love ur work ⭐️💪
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) <a href="https://twitter.com/harbhajan_singh/status/1082121618263101440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Suresh Raina 
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Historic 1st Test Series win for India in Australia! Superb effort by #TeamIndia ! It may have ended in rain but that's not going to dampen the celebrations! Proud #INDvAUS

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Historic 1st Test Series win for India in Australia! Superb effort by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> ! It may have ended in rain but that’s not going to dampen the celebrations! Proud <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/xVN9OZtye5">pic.twitter.com/xVN9OZtye5</a>
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1082137310702026759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Mitchell Johnson 
Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for making history, winning in Australia for the 1st time is a proud achievement for all of India. @cheteshwar1 &amp; the whole Indian bowling attack was just unstoppable this series. Was thrilling to watch @Jaspritbumrah93 bowling

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations to India for winning the Test series in Australia for the first time ever 👏🏼 <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaspritbumrah93?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jaspritbumrah93</a> I was so impressed with your performance throughout this series! Fast,… <a href="https://t.co/7fMSNEeJ1q">https://t.co/7fMSNEeJ1q</a>
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) <a href="https://twitter.com/MitchJohnson398/status/1082132516125982722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Michael Clarke 
Congratulations team on a very well played Test Match series 2-1.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations team 🇮🇳 on a very well played Test Match series 2-1 👏🏻🏏
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) <a href="https://twitter.com/MClarke23/status/1082120539756552193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Michael Vaughan 
Well done #India on a really good series Win Down Under .. High class Skill produced by many of the players .. But it's great for all players around the world to see @cheteshwar1 get Man of the Series for playing the Test Match way .. A lesson to all ...

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Well done <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> on a really good series Win Down Under .. High class Skill produced by many of the players .. but it’s great for all players around the world to see <a href="https://twitter.com/cheteshwar1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cheteshwar1</a> get Man of the Series for playing the Test Match way .. A lesson to all .. #2–1 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a>
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1082170985032355841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Glenn McGrath 
? Congratulations to @imVkohli &amp; his Indian Team on winning their first ever series in Australia. They outplayed @CAComms in all departments. Very well deserved.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> &amp; his Indian Team on winning their first ever series in Australia. They outplayed <a href="https://twitter.com/cacomms?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CAComms</a> in all departments. Very well deserved. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pinktest?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#pinktest</a> <a href="https://t.co/UkEJcrzJ3I">https://t.co/UkEJcrzJ3I</a>
— Glenn McGrath (@glennmcgrath11) <a href="https://twitter.com/glennmcgrath11/status/1082121305481191424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Gautam Gambhir 
Congratulations India on a stupendous victory. It's a big day for us as sporting nation. For once,let's not debate or dissect the impact of absence of Warner/Smith, let's just savour the moment and be proud. Let's be together on this one at least!

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Congratulations India on a stupendous victory. It’s a big day for us as sporting nation. For once,let’s not debate or dissect the impact of absence of Warner/Smith, let’s just savour the moment and be proud. Let’s be together on this one at least! <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SPNSportsIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SPNSportsIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvAUS</a>
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) <a href="https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1082135708100366341?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Vinod Rai (CoA chief)&nbsp; 
An amazing historic series win for the Indian team. A very comprehensive effort. Every member contributed. I congratulate the captain, the head coach and each player in the team for the remarkable performance put in by them. My heartiest accolades for the performance. Great show. 
 
CK Khanna (acting president, BCCI): I wish to congratulate the Indian team for their series win in Australia and Virat Kohli for his superb captaincy. He led from the front.&nbsp;

Diana Edulji (COA member)&nbsp;Congratulations to Team India on this great series victory.

Virat Kohli-led team achieved Test series victory on Australian soil since India started touring to Australia in 1947-48 as they clinched the series 2-1 after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday.

Virat Kohli-led team achieved Test series victory on Australian soil since India started touring to Australia in 1947-48 as they clinched the series 2-1 after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday. After winning the historic Test series Virat said, "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional." Meanwhile, former and current players along with administrators hailed the series win on various platforms. Following are the reactions: Sachin Tendulkar An amazing day for Indian cricket! The resilience and determination of #TeamIndia has made this a series to be cherished. Proud of the boys. Has been a wonderful series where the younger and senior players shared responsibilities to achieve something special. @Rishabpant777, who has gone from strength to strength and @imkuldeep18 are definitely ones to watch out for. An amazing day for Indian cricket! The resilience and determination of #TeamIndia has made this a series to be cherished. Proud of the boys. #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/qPPXhYnKzM — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 7, 2019 × Bishan Singh Bedi Kudos to Team Ind fr recovering lot of (sic) lost ground in (sic) Sth Afr/Eng-truly remarkable feat-beating Aust fr 1st time in (sic) their own backyard-2 guys @cheteshwar1 & @Jaspritbumrah93 personified consistency-all playing X1's gr8 resolve/determination helped cross the Rubicon..Congrats All! VVS Laxman Many congratulations #TeamIndia on this historic series win in Australia. It took a complete Team effort from every member of the side and it gives such an immense sense of satisfaction and joy to see what the boys have done on the field. Let's cherish this special series win Many congratulations #TeamIndia on this historic series win in Australia. It took a complete Team effort from every member of the side and it gives such an immense sense of satisfaction and joy to see what the boys have done on the field. Let’s cherish this special series win pic.twitter.com/QFj7oJg47i — VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 7, 2019 × Virender Sehwag Congratulations #TeamIndia for this memorable win. Every cricket lover in India will be very proud of this one and a special effort by every member in the Team to ensure this result. Congratulations #TeamIndia for this memorable win. Every cricket lover in India will be very proud of this one and a special effort by every member in the Team to ensure this result. pic.twitter.com/GLUaQgLt4S — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) January 7, 2019 × Harbhajan Singh Proud of you guys Well done Team India for winning the test series in Australia.. Congratulations @cheteshwar1 for winning MOS u (sic) been a backbone of indian batting line up.. Keep it up @BCCI bowling wise @Jaspritbumrah93 has been phenomenal..Love ur work Proud of you guys🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳..Well done Team India for winning the test series in Australia.. congratulations @cheteshwar1 for winning MOS u been a backbone of indian batting line up.. keep it up 🔥🏏@BCCI bowling wise @Jaspritbumrah93 has been phenomenal..love ur work ⭐️💪 — Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 7, 2019 × Suresh Raina When was the last time you did something for the first time? Historic 1st Test Series win for India in Australia! Superb effort by #TeamIndia ! It may have ended in rain but that's not going to dampen the celebrations! Proud #INDvAUS When was the last time you did something for the first time? Historic 1st Test Series win for India in Australia! Superb effort by #TeamIndia ! It may have ended in rain but that’s not going to dampen the celebrations! Proud #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/xVN9OZtye5 — Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) January 7, 2019 × Mitchell Johnson Congratulations to the Indian cricket team for making history, winning in Australia for the 1st time is a proud achievement for all of India. @cheteshwar1 & the whole Indian bowling attack was just unstoppable this series. Was thrilling to watch @Jaspritbumrah93 bowling Congratulations to India for winning the Test series in Australia for the first time ever 👏🏼 @Jaspritbumrah93 I was so impressed with your performance throughout this series! Fast,… https://t.co/7fMSNEeJ1q — Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) January 7, 2019 × Michael Clarke Congratulations team on a very well played Test Match series 2-1. Congratulations team 🇮🇳 on a very well played Test Match series 2-1 👏🏻🏏 — Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) January 7, 2019 × Michael Vaughan Well done #India on a really good series Win Down Under .. High class Skill produced by many of the players .. But it's great for all players around the world to see @cheteshwar1 get Man of the Series for playing the Test Match way .. A lesson to all ... Well done #India on a really good series Win Down Under .. High class Skill produced by many of the players .. but it’s great for all players around the world to see @cheteshwar1 get Man of the Series for playing the Test Match way .. A lesson to all .. #2–1 #AUSvIND — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 7, 2019 × Glenn McGrath ? Congratulations to @imVkohli & his Indian Team on winning their first ever series in Australia. They outplayed @CAComms in all departments. Very well deserved. Congratulations to @imVkohli & his Indian Team on winning their first ever series in Australia. They outplayed @CAComms in all departments. Very well deserved. #AUSvIND #pinktest https://t.co/UkEJcrzJ3I — Glenn McGrath (@glennmcgrath11) January 7, 2019 × Gautam Gambhir Congratulations India on a stupendous victory. It's a big day for us as sporting nation. For once,let's not debate or dissect the impact of absence of Warner/Smith, let's just savour the moment and be proud. Let's be together on this one at least! Congratulations India on a stupendous victory. It’s a big day for us as sporting nation. For once,let’s not debate or dissect the impact of absence of Warner/Smith, let’s just savour the moment and be proud. Let’s be together on this one at least! @BCCI @SPNSportsIndia #INDvAUS — Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) January 7, 2019 × Vinod Rai (CoA chief) An amazing historic series win for the Indian team. A very comprehensive effort. Every member contributed. I congratulate the captain, the head coach and each player in the team for the remarkable performance put in by them. My heartiest accolades for the performance. Great show. CK Khanna (acting president, BCCI): I wish to congratulate the Indian team for their series win in Australia and Virat Kohli for his superb captaincy. He led from the front. Diana Edulji (COA member) Congratulations to Team India on this great series victory.

India vs Australia: Former and current players along with administrators hail India's series win

Virat Kohli-led team achieved <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/historic-india-win-maiden-test-series-in-australia-188678">Test series victory</a> on Australian soil since India started touring to Australia in 1947-48 as they clinched the series 2-1 after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After winning the historic Test series Virat said, "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional."&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant led the on-field celebrations with an unusual victory dance and the entire team joined in. The celebration became hilarious when the players asked Cheteshwar Pujara to shake a leg but he simply couldn't.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-wife-anushka-goes-on-victory-walk-with-virat-kohli-in-sydney-188785">Wife Anushka goes on ‘victory walk’ with Virat Kohli in Sydney</a>

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-wife-anushka-goes-on-victory-walk-with-virat-kohli-in-sydney-188785">India's victory in Australia 'bigger' than 1983 World Cup win, says Shastri</a>

Virat Kohli while interacting with media was asked about the victory dance, "Can you explain the dance that you and some of the guys did in front of Indian fans?"

Virat replied, "You'll have to ask Rishabh Pant that, he came up with that and we just went along. I don't know what he was trying to do to be honest. It just felt good, it was very easy but Pujara could not even do that. You can see how simple he is".

Watch the victory dance:&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
#<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> 
Dance Dance 🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🏼🕺 
Celebrations have well and truly begun for Team India! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/0ambFZkqUX">pic.twitter.com/0ambFZkqUX</a>
— Ritika Sajdeh ™ (@ImRitika45) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRitika45/status/1082153874771841029?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Get those feet tapping. The Bharat Army gave the team a welcome in their own style - and needless to say, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> joined in 😁😁 - - <a href="https://twitter.com/28anand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@28anand</a> gets us visuals straight from the hotel 👌👌 
 
Watch the full video here ----&gt; <a href="https://t.co/a0vlmo5Gmg">https://t.co/a0vlmo5Gmg</a> <a href="https://t.co/N8likfSmDN">pic.twitter.com/N8likfSmDN</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1082210339662454785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
MUST WATCH: Virat &amp; Co. celebrate historic win in style 😎🇮🇳🇮🇳<a href="https://twitter.com/scg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@scg</a> dressing room abuzz with cheers, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> thanking their fans &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> on the proudest moment of his life - <a href="https://twitter.com/28anand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@28anand</a> has all bases covered here <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> 
 
Video Link -----&gt; <a href="https://t.co/boJL4z7d1O">https://t.co/boJL4z7d1O</a> <a href="https://t.co/MC82y3cdYF">pic.twitter.com/MC82y3cdYF</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1082192586209521664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a century in all four Tests, was given the player of the match and also the player of the series.&nbsp;

Virat Kohli-led team achieved Test series victory on Australian soil since India started touring to Australia in 1947-48 as they clinched the series 2-1 after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday. After winning the historic Test series Virat said, "By far this is my best achievement. Has to be on top of the pile. When we won the World Cup, I was a young player. I saw the others getting emotional." Rishabh Pant led the on-field celebrations with an unusual victory dance and the entire team joined in. The celebration became hilarious when the players asked Cheteshwar Pujara to shake a leg but he simply couldn't. Watch: Wife Anushka goes on ‘victory walk’ with Virat Kohli in Sydney Watch: India's victory in Australia 'bigger' than 1983 World Cup win, says Shastri Virat Kohli while interacting with media was asked about the victory dance, "Can you explain the dance that you and some of the guys did in front of Indian fans?" Virat replied, "You'll have to ask Rishabh Pant that, he came up with that and we just went along. I don't know what he was trying to do to be honest. It just felt good, it was very easy but Pujara could not even do that. You can see how simple he is". Watch the victory dance: ##AUSvIND #TeamIndia Dance Dance 🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺🏼🕺 Celebrations have well and truly begun for Team India! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/0ambFZkqUX — Ritika Sajdeh ™ (@ImRitika45) January 7, 2019 × Get those feet tapping. The Bharat Army gave the team a welcome in their own style - and needless to say, #TeamIndia joined in 😁😁 - - @28anand gets us visuals straight from the hotel 👌👌 Watch the full video here ----> https://t.co/a0vlmo5Gmg pic.twitter.com/N8likfSmDN — BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2019 × MUST WATCH: Virat & Co. celebrate historic win in style 😎🇮🇳🇮🇳@scg dressing room abuzz with cheers, #TeamIndia thanking their fans & @imVkohli on the proudest moment of his life - @28anand has all bases covered here #AUSvIND Video Link -----> https://t.co/boJL4z7d1O pic.twitter.com/MC82y3cdYF — BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2019 × Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored a century in all four Tests, was given the player of the match and also the player of the series.

Watch: India's unusual victory dance after historic Test series win against Australia that Cheteshwar Pujara can't do

Dominant team India registered their status as the world's number one team by winning a historic first-ever series in Australia after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday.&nbsp;

After scripting history, Virat-led was showered with praises from a former player Sunil Gavaskar. &nbsp;

He said, "India played the opposition they were presented with and it's a great achievement for them."

He further added, "It is not that teams that I was a part of didn't play to win. We also played to win but this team is at a different level in terms of fitness and the captain has shown the way. In our times, we used do our individual routines."&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-indias-unusual-victory-dance-after-historic-test-win-against-australia-that-cheteshwar-pujara-cant-do-188811">India's unusual victory dance after historic Test series win against Australia that Cheteshwar Pujara can't do</a>

Besides applauding the winning team, Gavaskar slammed the criticism that the historic win came against a weakened Australian team.&nbsp;

It was attributed to batting mainstays David Warner and Steve Smith's one-year ban on ball tampering charges but Gavaskar rejected the assertion.&nbsp;

"It is not India's fault that this Australian team was without David Warner and Steve Smith. Australia could have handed them shorter bans but obviously it was thought that one-year bans would be good for Australian cricket, that they needed to be made an example for anyone who brings the game into disrepute," Gavaskar said during a post-match show on 'Sony Six'.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Some happy faces in the dressing room post the Historic win 🇮🇳🇮🇳📸 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/nVosuIEwlt">pic.twitter.com/nVosuIEwlt</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1082155848628023296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Paine admitted his inexperienced side had been completely outplayed in the last two matches in Melbourne and Sydney but thought the series might have panned out differently had the Australians done better in the opener in Adelaide.&nbsp;

"We honestly feel that we let that Test match slip," he told reporters.&nbsp;

"We're really disappointed," Paine said. "We know we had some guys missing but we honestly felt coming into this series that, particularly in Australia, we could beat India."&nbsp;

Dominant team India registered their status as the world's number one team by winning a historic first-ever series in Australia after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday.

Dominant team India registered their status as the world's number one team by winning a historic first-ever series in Australia after the weather-affected fourth match at the Sydney Cricket finished in a draw on Monday. After scripting history, Virat-led was showered with praises from a former player Sunil Gavaskar. He said, "India played the opposition they were presented with and it's a great achievement for them." He further added, "It is not that teams that I was a part of didn't play to win. We also played to win but this team is at a different level in terms of fitness and the captain has shown the way. In our times, we used do our individual routines." Watch: India's unusual victory dance after historic Test series win against Australia that Cheteshwar Pujara can't do Besides applauding the winning team, Gavaskar slammed the criticism that the historic win came against a weakened Australian team. It was attributed to batting mainstays David Warner and Steve Smith's one-year ban on ball tampering charges but Gavaskar rejected the assertion. "It is not India's fault that this Australian team was without David Warner and Steve Smith. Australia could have handed them shorter bans but obviously it was thought that one-year bans would be good for Australian cricket, that they needed to be made an example for anyone who brings the game into disrepute," Gavaskar said during a post-match show on 'Sony Six'. Some happy faces in the dressing room post the Historic win 🇮🇳🇮🇳📸 #TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/nVosuIEwlt — BCCI (@BCCI) January 7, 2019 × Paine admitted his inexperienced side had been completely outplayed in the last two matches in Melbourne and Sydney but thought the series might have panned out differently had the Australians done better in the opener in Adelaide. "We honestly feel that we let that Test match slip," he told reporters. "We're really disappointed," Paine said. "We know we had some guys missing but we honestly felt coming into this series that, particularly in Australia, we could beat India."

Not India's fault that Steve Smith and David Warner were not picked: Sunil Gavaskar slams critics

Tim Paine's men did their utmost to avoid being the first Australia side to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/historic-india-win-maiden-test-series-in-australia-188678">lose a Test series to India</a> on home soil but were outplayed in the key moments that might have swung matters in their favour, the 34-year-old said on Monday.

India wrapped up a 2-1 series victory, their first in 71 years of trying, after the fourth and final Test petered out in a draw at a rain-drenched Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.

Installed as captain in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year, Paine has now overseen seven Test matches and won just one -- the Perth victory that tied up the series at 1-1.

Paine admitted his inexperienced side had been completely outplayed in the last two matches in Melbourne and Sydney but thought the series might have panned out differently had the Australians done better in the opener in Adelaide.

"We honestly feel that we let that Test match slip," he told reporters.

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-wife-anushka-goes-on-victory-walk-with-virat-kohli-in-sydney-188785">Wife Anushka goes on ‘victory walk’ with Virat Kohli in Sydney</a>

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-wife-anushka-goes-on-victory-walk-with-virat-kohli-in-sydney-188785">India's victory in Australia 'bigger' than 1983 World Cup win, says Shastri</a>

"We thought had a number of opportunities in that Test to get ahead of the game, and when those key moments came up, India outplayed us.

"More often than not when those big moments came up, Virat (Kohli) scored a century or (Cheteshwar) Pujara scored one or (Jasprit) Bumrah bowled a great spell and got them through those moments.

"Their best players stood up in the big moments."

Paine said the Australians, still without their best two batsmen because of the bans handed out to Steve Smith and David Warner for their part in the Newlands scandal, needed to emulate the Indians when they take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test series.

"We can learn a lot from the way they went about it and we'll make sure we do," he said.

"We'll have a week off and get ready for the Sri Lanka series. We've got faith that the guys around the team are the right guys."

Paine said he had faith that senior batsmen Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh and the pace bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins would rediscover their best form after under-par series.

He thought that opener Marcus Harris and Travis Head, who probably got their chances because of the absence of Smith and Warner, had acquitted themselves well at Test level.

Paine conceded, however, that not scoring a century between the batting unit over the entire series was a serious setback.

"Clearly, we know we're not going to win too many any Test matches without scoring hundreds," he said.

"But when guys are in their third, fourth Test matches, it's hard. We had so many starts throughout this series, it's just the experience of learning how to convert them.

"(And the Indian) attack was seriously good. I don't think in Australia we've given them enough credit for how relentless they were. It was hard work batting even for seasoned Test players."

After a one-day series against India, Australia next take on Sri Lanka in Brisbane starting on Jan 24 followed by the second Test in Canberra.

"We're really disappointed," Paine said. "We know we had some guys missing but we honestly felt coming into this series that, particularly in Australia, we could beat India."

Tim Paine's men did their utmost to avoid being the first Australia side to lose a Test series to India on home soil but were outplayed in the key moments that might have swung matters in their favour, the 34-year-old said on Monday.

Tim Paine's men did their utmost to avoid being the first Australia side to lose a Test series to India on home soil but were outplayed in the key moments that might have swung matters in their favour, the 34-year-old said on Monday. India wrapped up a 2-1 series victory, their first in 71 years of trying, after the fourth and final Test petered out in a draw at a rain-drenched Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday. Installed as captain in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year, Paine has now overseen seven Test matches and won just one -- the Perth victory that tied up the series at 1-1. Paine admitted his inexperienced side had been completely outplayed in the last two matches in Melbourne and Sydney but thought the series might have panned out differently had the Australians done better in the opener in Adelaide. "We honestly feel that we let that Test match slip," he told reporters. Watch: Wife Anushka goes on ‘victory walk’ with Virat Kohli in Sydney Watch: India's victory in Australia 'bigger' than 1983 World Cup win, says Shastri "We thought had a number of opportunities in that Test to get ahead of the game, and when those key moments came up, India outplayed us. "More often than not when those big moments came up, Virat (Kohli) scored a century or (Cheteshwar) Pujara scored one or (Jasprit) Bumrah bowled a great spell and got them through those moments. "Their best players stood up in the big moments." Paine said the Australians, still without their best two batsmen because of the bans handed out to Steve Smith and David Warner for their part in the Newlands scandal, needed to emulate the Indians when they take on Sri Lanka in a two-Test series. "We can learn a lot from the way they went about it and we'll make sure we do," he said. "We'll have a week off and get ready for the Sri Lanka series. We've got faith that the guys around the team are the right guys." Paine said he had faith that senior batsmen Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh and the pace bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins would rediscover their best form after under-par series. He thought that opener Marcus Harris and Travis Head, who probably got their chances because of the absence of Smith and Warner, had acquitted themselves well at Test level. Paine conceded, however, that not scoring a century between the batting unit over the entire series was a serious setback. "Clearly, we know we're not going to win too many any Test matches without scoring hundreds," he said. "But when guys are in their third, fourth Test matches, it's hard. We had so many starts throughout this series, it's just the experience of learning how to convert them. "(And the Indian) attack was seriously good. I don't think in Australia we've given them enough credit for how relentless they were. It was hard work batting even for seasoned Test players." After a one-day series against India, Australia next take on Sri Lanka in Brisbane starting on Jan 24 followed by the second Test in Canberra. "We're really disappointed," Paine said. "We know we had some guys missing but we honestly felt coming into this series that, particularly in Australia, we could beat India."

India vs Australia: We were outplayed in key moments, says Australia captain Tim Paine

Australia were dismissed for 300 after lunch on the fourth day of the final test against India on Sunday, trailing the tourists' first innings of 622-7 declared by 322 and forced to follow-on.

India only need a draw to win the four-match series.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav struck for his side to put an end to Australia's first inning. Yadav clinched five wickets and ended with figures 99/5 after bowling 31.5 overs.&nbsp;

Earlier, other Indian bowlers dismissed three Australian batsmen in quick succession after rain delay, on day 4 of the fourth test match.&nbsp;

Play got underway on Sunday after a rain delay of almost four hours at the Sydney Cricket Ground but India took 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

Australia were reduced to 236-6 at stumps on day three when bad light had stopped play.

On days one and two, Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159 not out) helped India to a grand first innings' total of 622-7 declared.

India have an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

Australia were dismissed for 300 after lunch on the fourth day of the final test against India on Sunday, trailing the tourists' first innings of 622-7 declared by 322 and forced to follow-on.

Australia were dismissed for 300 after lunch on the fourth day of the final test against India on Sunday, trailing the tourists' first innings of 622-7 declared by 322 and forced to follow-on. India only need a draw to win the four-match series. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav struck for his side to put an end to Australia's first inning. Yadav clinched five wickets and ended with figures 99/5 after bowling 31.5 overs. Earlier, other Indian bowlers dismissed three Australian batsmen in quick succession after rain delay, on day 4 of the fourth test match. Play got underway on Sunday after a rain delay of almost four hours at the Sydney Cricket Ground but India took 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs. Australia were reduced to 236-6 at stumps on day three when bad light had stopped play. On days one and two, Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159 not out) helped India to a grand first innings' total of 622-7 declared. India have an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

IND vs AUS, Day 4: Bad light stops play; Australia trail by 316 runs

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav&nbsp;struck for his side to end Australia's first inning for 300. Earlier, other Indian bowlers dismissed three Australian batsmen in quick succession after rain delay, on day 4 of the fourth test match.&nbsp;

Earlier, incessant rain and bad light washed out the first session of day four of the fourth Test between Australia and India.

At the Sydney Cricket Ground, play couldn't commence at the scheduled early 10 am local time start due to bad light and wet conditions from overnight heavy rain.

The light improved in some time and the two umpires stipulated 11 am local time as the start of play, but rain arrived to prevent that from happening.

The inclement weather didn't relent until lunchtime and the morning session was completely washed out.

Australia were reduced to 236-6 at stumps on day three when bad light had stopped play.

On days one and two, Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159 not out) helped India to a grand first innings' total of 622-7 declared.

India have an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav struck for his side to end Australia's first inning for 300. Earlier, other Indian bowlers dismissed three Australian batsmen in quick succession after rain delay, on day 4 of the fourth test match.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav struck for his side to end Australia's first inning for 300. Earlier, other Indian bowlers dismissed three Australian batsmen in quick succession after rain delay, on day 4 of the fourth test match. Earlier, incessant rain and bad light washed out the first session of day four of the fourth Test between Australia and India. At the Sydney Cricket Ground, play couldn't commence at the scheduled early 10 am local time start due to bad light and wet conditions from overnight heavy rain. The light improved in some time and the two umpires stipulated 11 am local time as the start of play, but rain arrived to prevent that from happening. The inclement weather didn't relent until lunchtime and the morning session was completely washed out. Australia were reduced to 236-6 at stumps on day three when bad light had stopped play. On days one and two, Cheteshwar Pujara (193) and Rishabh Pant (159 not out) helped India to a grand first innings' total of 622-7 declared. India have an unassailable 2-1 series' lead after winning the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

IND vs AUS: Kuldeep strikes to end Australia's first inning

Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun advocated for the use of pink ball while interacting with media after India's quest to clinch a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-aus-bad-light-rain-force-early-stumps-on-day-four-australia-60-188512">first-ever Test series victo</a>ry in Australia was delayed when play was abandoned on day four of the fourth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground, due to bad light and rain.

"I think pink ball would eventually come in. I think sometime in future we would definitely be playing pink ball cricket. The fact we didn't play now was because we had hardly played with the pink ball. But eventually, yes. That could be the future of (Test) cricket."

Bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the rescheduled tea break. Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, India requiring 10 wickets for victory

Australia&nbsp;were made to follow-on in a home match for the first time in 31 years have been all out for 300 in their first innings after an initial three-hour rain delay.&nbsp;

Only 25.2 overs were possible on Sunday, leaving Australia 316 runs behind with 10 wickets remaining.&nbsp;

With minutes left before the interval, the umpires pulled out the light meter and play was abruptly ended for a second successive day. &nbsp;

Bharat Arun also praised the SCG's pitch, he said, "This is probably one of the best wickets we have played on from the batsman's point of view. So, we were aware that to win this game we need that many overs to bowl it.&nbsp;

"So, and also the fact that, you know, the weather was much, it was a lot kinder than what it was in the first two-three days so and also the fact that it's a great opportunity for us to make it 3-1 scoreline. So that was a huge motivation for us to go and give all that we have to make it 3-1," he concluded.

Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun advocated for the use of pink ball while interacting with media after India's quest to clinch a first-ever Test series victory in Australia was delayed when play was abandoned on day four of the fourth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground, due to bad light and rain.

Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun advocated for the use of pink ball while interacting with media after India's quest to clinch a first-ever Test series victory in Australia was delayed when play was abandoned on day four of the fourth Test at Sydney Cricket Ground, due to bad light and rain. "I think pink ball would eventually come in. I think sometime in future we would definitely be playing pink ball cricket. The fact we didn't play now was because we had hardly played with the pink ball. But eventually, yes. That could be the future of (Test) cricket." Bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the rescheduled tea break. Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, India requiring 10 wickets for victory Australia were made to follow-on in a home match for the first time in 31 years have been all out for 300 in their first innings after an initial three-hour rain delay. Only 25.2 overs were possible on Sunday, leaving Australia 316 runs behind with 10 wickets remaining. With minutes left before the interval, the umpires pulled out the light meter and play was abruptly ended for a second successive day. Bharat Arun also praised the SCG's pitch, he said, "This is probably one of the best wickets we have played on from the batsman's point of view. So, we were aware that to win this game we need that many overs to bowl it. "So, and also the fact that, you know, the weather was much, it was a lot kinder than what it was in the first two-three days so and also the fact that it's a great opportunity for us to make it 3-1 scoreline. So that was a huge motivation for us to go and give all that we have to make it 3-1," he concluded.

Pink ball cricket will be the future says, India bowling coach Bharat Arun

Day 4 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia was delayed due to incessant rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground.&nbsp;

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and Pat Cummins, who had made 25, will resume the game today.&nbsp;

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day as they slumped to 236 for the loss of six wickets when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared.

The Virat Kohli-led side only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Day 4 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia was delayed due to incessant rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and Pat Cummins, who had made 25, will resume the game today.

Day 4 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia was delayed due to incessant rain at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and Pat Cummins, who had made 25, will resume the game today. Australia's batting woes returned on the third day as they slumped to 236 for the loss of six wickets when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared. The Virat Kohli-led side only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch. Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

IND vs AUS: Bad light, rain delay start on day 4; Australia 236/6

Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final test on Sunday.

Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break.

Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared.

The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia but skipper Virat Kohli did not hesitate to send the hosts back in when they fell well short of the 423 runs needed to avoid the follow-on.

Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

Mohammed Shami immediately took the second new ball and removed Pat Cummins's off stump with the sixth delivery of the day to dismiss his fellow paceman for 25.

Peter Handscomb, recalled for his ability to play spin, followed for 37 after adding nine runs to his overnight tally, dragging the ball onto his stumps to give quick Jasprit Bumrah his first wicket of the match.

Nathan Lyon faced just five balls before he was adjudged lbw to fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav for a duck, a decision Australia decided against reviewing despite a question mark over whether the ball would have hit the stumps.

Josh Hazlewood was dropped by Hanuma Vihari off Kuldeep's bowling when he had yet to score and he and fellow tailender Mitchell Starc (29 not out) fought a dogged rearguard to put on 42 for the final wicket.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (5-99) finally got his man to secure a second five-wicket haul in his sixth test, though, trapping Hazlewood leg before wicket for 21, in a decision confirmed after a review.

England were the last team to force Australia to follow-on at home in the drawn 1988 Sydney test, a result the hosts are unlikely to repeat unless the weather intervenes decisively.

Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final test on Sunday.

Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final test on Sunday. Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break. Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared. The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia but skipper Virat Kohli did not hesitate to send the hosts back in when they fell well short of the 423 runs needed to avoid the follow-on. Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs. Mohammed Shami immediately took the second new ball and removed Pat Cummins's off stump with the sixth delivery of the day to dismiss his fellow paceman for 25. Peter Handscomb, recalled for his ability to play spin, followed for 37 after adding nine runs to his overnight tally, dragging the ball onto his stumps to give quick Jasprit Bumrah his first wicket of the match. Nathan Lyon faced just five balls before he was adjudged lbw to fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav for a duck, a decision Australia decided against reviewing despite a question mark over whether the ball would have hit the stumps. Josh Hazlewood was dropped by Hanuma Vihari off Kuldeep's bowling when he had yet to score and he and fellow tailender Mitchell Starc (29 not out) fought a dogged rearguard to put on 42 for the final wicket. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (5-99) finally got his man to secure a second five-wicket haul in his sixth test, though, trapping Hazlewood leg before wicket for 21, in a decision confirmed after a review. England were the last team to force Australia to follow-on at home in the drawn 1988 Sydney test, a result the hosts are unlikely to repeat unless the weather intervenes decisively.

IND vs AUS: Bad light, rain force early stumps on day four; Australia are 6/0

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Sunday slammed the current team for showing "no desperation" after Nathan Lyon decided against reviewing his lbw decision on day four of the fourth Test against India here.&nbsp;

Lyon was adjudged LBW after being hit on the pad off a Kuldeep Yadav delivery. He asked non-striker Mitchell Starc if he should opt for a review, but the duo decided against it despite two reviews remaining in their innings and only two wickets left.

At stumps on day four, Australia were bundled out for 300 in the first innings after which India enforced the follow-on. The hosts then came out to bat in the second innings, trailing by 322 runs.

India had piled up a mammoth 622 in their first innings.

"That dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team at the moment. There's no desperation there whatsoever," Ponting said on Channel Seven, one of the host broadcasters.

"Why wouldn't they have had a look at that? They've still got the two reviews up their sleeve. There had to be some sort of doubt in that," Ponting added.

The former three-time World Cup winning cricketer also slammed pacer Starc, who was at the non-stricker's end, for not intervening.

"Given out straight away and Mitchell Starc just puts his hand out and says 'oh well, it's not me, it's up to you to make (a call)".

"Well, unfortunately, when you're out there together it's a partnership. You've got to do whatever you can to try and save your mate. And there was absolutely none of that there," he added.

Replays suggested the ball would have probably struck Lyon outside the line of off stump and he may have been adjudged not out if DRS was taken.

"And as it's shown already that would have been given not out. Slack and not desperate enough. You can see where Mitchell Starc is standing at the non-striker's end," he added.&nbsp;

"One, look how wide he's standing. There's no need to be that wide in the first place. Nathan Lyon looks up, 'Oh what do you reckon?' 'Oh I don't know mate. Yeah I don't know. But let's not bother looking. We've only got two (reviews) up our sleeve," Ponting said.&nbsp;

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Sunday slammed the current team for showing "no desperation" after Nathan Lyon decided against reviewing his lbw decision on day four of the fourth Test against India here.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Sunday slammed the current team for showing "no desperation" after Nathan Lyon decided against reviewing his lbw decision on day four of the fourth Test against India here. Lyon was adjudged LBW after being hit on the pad off a Kuldeep Yadav delivery. He asked non-striker Mitchell Starc if he should opt for a review, but the duo decided against it despite two reviews remaining in their innings and only two wickets left. At stumps on day four, Australia were bundled out for 300 in the first innings after which India enforced the follow-on. The hosts then came out to bat in the second innings, trailing by 322 runs. India had piled up a mammoth 622 in their first innings. "That dismissal actually says a lot to me about the mindset of this Australian team at the moment. There's no desperation there whatsoever," Ponting said on Channel Seven, one of the host broadcasters. "Why wouldn't they have had a look at that? They've still got the two reviews up their sleeve. There had to be some sort of doubt in that," Ponting added. The former three-time World Cup winning cricketer also slammed pacer Starc, who was at the non-stricker's end, for not intervening. "Given out straight away and Mitchell Starc just puts his hand out and says 'oh well, it's not me, it's up to you to make (a call)". "Well, unfortunately, when you're out there together it's a partnership. You've got to do whatever you can to try and save your mate. And there was absolutely none of that there," he added. Replays suggested the ball would have probably struck Lyon outside the line of off stump and he may have been adjudged not out if DRS was taken. "And as it's shown already that would have been given not out. Slack and not desperate enough. You can see where Mitchell Starc is standing at the non-striker's end," he added. "One, look how wide he's standing. There's no need to be that wide in the first place. Nathan Lyon looks up, 'Oh what do you reckon?' 'Oh I don't know mate. Yeah I don't know. But let's not bother looking. We've only got two (reviews) up our sleeve," Ponting said.

Ricky Ponting lashes out at Australia for showing 'no desperation'

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, who recently became father of a baby girl, on Sunday revealed the name of his daughter.&nbsp;

The 31-year-old revealed the name on his Twitter handle.&nbsp;“I spent last night On the last flight to you Took a whole day up Trying to get way up Baby Samaira,” Rohit wrote.&nbsp;

Along with the post, Rohit shared an adorable picture of his family. He shared the photo with the words of popular Maroon 5 song 'Girls like you' as the caption.

Rohit, who was on the tour of Australia, missed the fourth Test and flew back to Mumbai soon after his wife Ritika delivered the baby, last week.&nbsp;The couple tied the knot in December 2015.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I spent last night 
On the last flight to you ❤️ 
Took a whole day up 
Trying to get way up 
 
Baby Samaira ❤️<a href="https://t.co/xR2fjlvwOr">https://t.co/xR2fjlvwOr</a> This video never fails to give me goosebumps <a href="https://twitter.com/adamlevine?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@adamlevine</a> <a href="https://t.co/XPNtfwS4qX">pic.twitter.com/XPNtfwS4qX</a>
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRo45/status/1081800286232924160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement announced that Rohit will join the squad on January 8, when the team begins its preparation for the One-day International (ODI) series starting on January 12.

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, who recently became father of a baby girl, on Sunday revealed the name of his daughter. The 31-year-old revealed the name on his Twitter handle.

Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, who recently became father of a baby girl, on Sunday revealed the name of his daughter. The 31-year-old revealed the name on his Twitter handle. “I spent last night On the last flight to you Took a whole day up Trying to get way up Baby Samaira,” Rohit wrote. Along with the post, Rohit shared an adorable picture of his family. He shared the photo with the words of popular Maroon 5 song 'Girls like you' as the caption. Rohit, who was on the tour of Australia, missed the fourth Test and flew back to Mumbai soon after his wife Ritika delivered the baby, last week. The couple tied the knot in December 2015. I spent last night On the last flight to you ❤️ Took a whole day up Trying to get way up Baby Samaira ❤️https://t.co/xR2fjlvwOr This video never fails to give me goosebumps @adamlevine pic.twitter.com/XPNtfwS4qX — Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) January 6, 2019 × The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a statement announced that Rohit will join the squad on January 8, when the team begins its preparation for the One-day International (ODI) series starting on January 12.

Rohit Sharma reveals newborn daughter's name on Twitter, shares adorable photo

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared.

The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rainclouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Play on Day 3 has been abandoned due to rain! 🌧️ 
 
Australia finish the day on 236/6, trailing by 386 runs, and we will have an early start tomorrow.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> SCORECARD ⬇️<a href="https://t.co/c2fCH8UcMc">https://t.co/c2fCH8UcMc</a> <a href="https://t.co/eUSH2Woxo6">pic.twitter.com/eUSH2Woxo6</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1081434086764294144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
India spinners picked up five wickets out of the six that fell on a rain-affected Day 3 of the final Test at the SCG. 
 
Marcus Harris top-scored with 79 for Australia.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> REPORT 🔽<a href="https://t.co/zq4nC9UXGw">https://t.co/zq4nC9UXGw</a> <a href="https://t.co/YQBtzyMCsr">pic.twitter.com/YQBtzyMCsr</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1081443714906505217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half-century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries.

The left-hander showed plenty of intent but just when it seemed he could be heading for a maiden Test ton he calamitously played the ball onto his own stumps off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

India's disciplined pace attack played a leading role in the victories in Adelaide and Melbourne that gave the tourists a 2-1 series lead coming to Sydney but it was the spinners who did most of the damage on Saturday.

Jadeja (2-62) also accounted for Marsh, who must surely have exhausted his supply of Test recalls after departing for eight having left his bat hanging to gift Ajinkya Rahane the simplest of catches at first slip.

Rahane had to work considerably harder for the catch at short midwicket that dismissed Labuschagne (38), diving low to his left to grab the ball with both hands off the bowling of quick Mohammed Shami.

Kuldeep Yadav (3-71) made Travis Head his second victim of the day shortly before tea, the batsman charging down the track to take on the left-arm wrist spinner only to send the ball straight back to him for the catch.

Paine gave the 24-year-old his third wicket, a peach of a delivery that clean bowled the Australia captain through his gaping gate for five.

The surface that India's batsmen had plundered almost at will for two days was still offering little movement for the bowlers and the Australians will be cursing themselves for some soft dismissals after the solid start to the day.

The openers had put on 72 when Usman Khawaja, moved up from number three to replace the dropped Aaron Finch, miscued a slog off Kuldeep to depart for 27 in the opening session.

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared.

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared. The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch. Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break. Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rainclouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day. Play on Day 3 has been abandoned due to rain! 🌧️ Australia finish the day on 236/6, trailing by 386 runs, and we will have an early start tomorrow.#AUSvIND SCORECARD ⬇️https://t.co/c2fCH8UcMc pic.twitter.com/eUSH2Woxo6 — ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2019 × India spinners picked up five wickets out of the six that fell on a rain-affected Day 3 of the final Test at the SCG. Marcus Harris top-scored with 79 for Australia.#AUSvIND REPORT 🔽https://t.co/zq4nC9UXGw pic.twitter.com/YQBtzyMCsr — ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2019 × Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half-century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries. The left-hander showed plenty of intent but just when it seemed he could be heading for a maiden Test ton he calamitously played the ball onto his own stumps off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja. India's disciplined pace attack played a leading role in the victories in Adelaide and Melbourne that gave the tourists a 2-1 series lead coming to Sydney but it was the spinners who did most of the damage on Saturday. Jadeja (2-62) also accounted for Marsh, who must surely have exhausted his supply of Test recalls after departing for eight having left his bat hanging to gift Ajinkya Rahane the simplest of catches at first slip. Rahane had to work considerably harder for the catch at short midwicket that dismissed Labuschagne (38), diving low to his left to grab the ball with both hands off the bowling of quick Mohammed Shami. Kuldeep Yadav (3-71) made Travis Head his second victim of the day shortly before tea, the batsman charging down the track to take on the left-arm wrist spinner only to send the ball straight back to him for the catch. Paine gave the 24-year-old his third wicket, a peach of a delivery that clean bowled the Australia captain through his gaping gate for five. The surface that India's batsmen had plundered almost at will for two days was still offering little movement for the bowlers and the Australians will be cursing themselves for some soft dismissals after the solid start to the day. The openers had put on 72 when Usman Khawaja, moved up from number three to replace the dropped Aaron Finch, miscued a slog off Kuldeep to depart for 27 in the opening session.

India vs Australia, 4th Test, Day 3: Australia stumble in reply to India's mammoth total

Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine's good-humoured on-field banter has been lapped up by the television viewers and the Indian described it as a way of maintaining intensity during long on-field hours.&nbsp;

The official broadcasters of ongoing India versus Australia series Fox Cricket has kept the stump microphone on and some of the interesting exchanges between Paine and Pant have been recorded.&nbsp;

Pant, whose picture of holding Tim Paine's son along with the Australian skipper's wife Bonnie went viral after the "babysitter" banter, didn't mind that stump mic is on.&nbsp;

"That (banter) is also one of the methods to keep yourself positive and to keep yourself busy. When you are fielding for a long time, everyone's body does get tired but you need to find a way to keep yourself positive and stay concentrated. My method is this, and it works for me, and that's why I am doing it," Pant told the media on Friday.&nbsp;

"As a player, I don't think about any of these things (stump microphone being turned up). Whatever I feel like at that moment, I say it. That's the only way," he added.&nbsp;

It all started during the Melbourne Test when Pant was batting.&nbsp;

"Big MS (Dhoni) is back in the one-day squad too, we might get him (Pant) down to the (Hobart) Hurricanes we need a batter. Fancy that, Pantsy? Extend your little Aussie holiday. Beautiful town Hobart too, I'll get you a nice apartment on the waterfront. (I'll) have him over for dinner. Can you babysit? I'll take the wife to the movies one night and you'll look after the kids," Paine was heard saying on the stump mic.&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine's good-humoured on-field banter has been lapped up by the television viewers and the Indian described it as a way of maintaining intensity during long on-field hours.

Rishabh Pant and Tim Paine's good-humoured on-field banter has been lapped up by the television viewers and the Indian described it as a way of maintaining intensity during long on-field hours. The official broadcasters of ongoing India versus Australia series Fox Cricket has kept the stump microphone on and some of the interesting exchanges between Paine and Pant have been recorded. Pant, whose picture of holding Tim Paine's son along with the Australian skipper's wife Bonnie went viral after the "babysitter" banter, didn't mind that stump mic is on. "That (banter) is also one of the methods to keep yourself positive and to keep yourself busy. When you are fielding for a long time, everyone's body does get tired but you need to find a way to keep yourself positive and stay concentrated. My method is this, and it works for me, and that's why I am doing it," Pant told the media on Friday. "As a player, I don't think about any of these things (stump microphone being turned up). Whatever I feel like at that moment, I say it. That's the only way," he added. It all started during the Melbourne Test when Pant was batting. "Big MS (Dhoni) is back in the one-day squad too, we might get him (Pant) down to the (Hobart) Hurricanes we need a batter. Fancy that, Pantsy? Extend your little Aussie holiday. Beautiful town Hobart too, I'll get you a nice apartment on the waterfront. (I'll) have him over for dinner. Can you babysit? I'll take the wife to the movies one night and you'll look after the kids," Paine was heard saying on the stump mic.

Rishabh Pant explains importance of good-humoured on-field banter

Indian batsman KL Rahul won hearts by his act of honesty while fielding on the third day of fourth and final Test of India-Australia series at Sydney Cricket Ground.&nbsp;

The incident happened when Australian batsman Marcus Harris survived a close call batting on 24 when a diving KL Rahul narrowly missed a catch.&nbsp;

Rahul immediately signalled that it didn't carry and was bounced. He ensured that the umpires don't waste time going to the third umpire.

On-field umpire&nbsp;Ian Gould appreciated Rahul's honest act and gave him a thumbs up when other players started celebrating the wicket.&nbsp;

Opener Harris quickly found a groove with some crisp shots&nbsp;and&nbsp;went on to score&nbsp;79 off 120.

Watch the catch here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A good effort from Rahul and he immediately says it bounced. Great stuff. Umpire Gould a big fan of it <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CloseMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CloseMatters</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/GilletteAU?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GilletteAU</a> <a href="https://t.co/7nA0H5Lsc7">pic.twitter.com/7nA0H5Lsc7</a>
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketcomau/status/1081338419425337344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This looked out for all money, but brilliant honesty from KL Rahul to not hesitate in ruling it out. 
 
Umpire Ian Gould was certainly impressed. 
 
📺 Watch LIVE on Fox Cricket &amp; 📰 join our match centre: <a href="https://t.co/seDJz2Ba9X">https://t.co/seDJz2Ba9X</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/FFcpp84AyI">pic.twitter.com/FFcpp84AyI</a>
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxCricket/status/1081338189661360130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Australia were left struggling at 236 for a loss of six wickets in their first innings in reply to India's colossal score of 622-7 when bad light stopped the play and early stumps on third day.&nbsp;

Play will start 30 minutes early on Sunday.&nbsp;

When the players walked off the field, Peter Handscomb and Pat Cummins were batting on 28 and 25, respectively, as Australia trailed India's first-innings total by 386 runs.&nbsp;

Unless Australia win, India will claim a first-ever series victory Down Under since they began touring here in 1947-48.&nbsp;

Indian batsman KL Rahul won hearts by his act of honesty while fielding on the third day of fourth and final Test of India-Australia series at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Indian batsman KL Rahul won hearts by his act of honesty while fielding on the third day of fourth and final Test of India-Australia series at Sydney Cricket Ground. The incident happened when Australian batsman Marcus Harris survived a close call batting on 24 when a diving KL Rahul narrowly missed a catch. Rahul immediately signalled that it didn't carry and was bounced. He ensured that the umpires don't waste time going to the third umpire. On-field umpire Ian Gould appreciated Rahul's honest act and gave him a thumbs up when other players started celebrating the wicket. Opener Harris quickly found a groove with some crisp shots and went on to score 79 off 120. Watch the catch here: A good effort from Rahul and he immediately says it bounced. Great stuff. Umpire Gould a big fan of it #CloseMatters#AUSvIND | @GilletteAU pic.twitter.com/7nA0H5Lsc7 — cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 4, 2019 × This looked out for all money, but brilliant honesty from KL Rahul to not hesitate in ruling it out. Umpire Ian Gould was certainly impressed. 📺 Watch LIVE on Fox Cricket & 📰 join our match centre: https://t.co/seDJz2Ba9X #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/FFcpp84AyI — Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) January 4, 2019 × Australia were left struggling at 236 for a loss of six wickets in their first innings in reply to India's colossal score of 622-7 when bad light stopped the play and early stumps on third day. Play will start 30 minutes early on Sunday. When the players walked off the field, Peter Handscomb and Pat Cummins were batting on 28 and 25, respectively, as Australia trailed India's first-innings total by 386 runs. Unless Australia win, India will claim a first-ever series victory Down Under since they began touring here in 1947-48.

Watch: KL Rahul earns praise from umpire for his honesty in Sydney Test, Twitter applauds

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=rishabh+pant">Rishabh Pant</a>, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test.&nbsp;

"He is a real talent and an incredibly good ball striker. He has got a really good game sense as well. I have been lucky enough to coach him at Delhi (Capitals)," said Ponting, who had worked with the Indian during his stint with Delhi franchise at the Indian Premier League.

"He has got to do a bit of work on his keeping and he will also become a better batsman.

"We talk about him in the commentary box and he is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist," Ponting told cricket.Com.Au.

Gilchrist, the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, has played 96 Tests, scoring 5570 runs at an average of 47.6. He also represented his country in 287 ODIs, amassing 9619 runs at 35.89.

Watch: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-hilarious-song-composed-for-rishabh-pant-by-fans-188365">Hilarious song composed for Rishabh Pant by fans</a>

On Friday, Pant became the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century on Australia soil when he smashed an unbeaten 159 and shared a 204-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, as the visitors declared at 622 runs for seven.

The 21-year-old also surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 13-year-old record of highest individual Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper. The former India skipper had scored 148 runs against Pakistan in 2006.

Ponting believes Pant will score more Test centuries than his predecessor Dhoni.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
"He is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist" – Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant after the India wicket-keeper batsman hit an entertaining 💯 at the SCG. 
 
READ 👇<a href="https://t.co/fofFrxgqLi">https://t.co/fofFrxgqLi</a> <a href="https://t.co/7CsO9ITloR">pic.twitter.com/7CsO9ITloR</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1081419132564717569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"We talk about MS Dhoni all the time and his impact on Indian cricket. He played a lot of Tests for India but made only six Test hundreds. This kid (Rishabh Pant) will make a lot more Test hundreds than that," Ponting said.&nbsp;

"He has already scored his second Test ton and a couple of 90s to go with it. Look he is someone who could play a lot of Test cricket for India across formats. Pant is only 21 and is already into his ninth Test."

Gilchrist also praised Pant for pacing his innings well.

"He played a beautiful innings today (Friday)," Gilchrist told foxsports.Com.Au.

"We probably all expected him to bat aggressively from ball one but he showed he can build an inning and then by the end of it allowed himself to play with all the freedom that we know he's got.

"It was entertaining. He's a cricketer that I would happily pay to watch."

Gilchrist believes Pant has the talent to become a successful Test cricketer.

"He's a cricketer that is at the start of his journey so he'll learn these particular parts of the game and he'll learn that there's always more time than what you think, but he's got a great foundation to be a successful Test cricketer," he said.

Though he shone with the bat, Pant's keeping wasn't always up to the mark as he dropped Usman Khawaja off Mohammed Shami late on the second day.

However, Gilchrist said Pant will become a reliable keeper as he learns from his mistakes.

"Although he's missed a few opportunities with the gloves, he's certainly held onto more than he's spilt. If he's prepared to work on his game, I'm sure he'll develop and become a really reliable keeper," Gilchrist said.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting praised young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, so much so that he called him "another" Adam Gilchrist after the Indian's blistering 159 in the fourth Test. "He is a real talent and an incredibly good ball striker. He has got a really good game sense as well. I have been lucky enough to coach him at Delhi (Capitals)," said Ponting, who had worked with the Indian during his stint with Delhi franchise at the Indian Premier League. "He has got to do a bit of work on his keeping and he will also become a better batsman. "We talk about him in the commentary box and he is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist," Ponting told cricket.Com.Au. Gilchrist, the legendary Australian wicket-keeper batsman, has played 96 Tests, scoring 5570 runs at an average of 47.6. He also represented his country in 287 ODIs, amassing 9619 runs at 35.89. Watch: Hilarious song composed for Rishabh Pant by fans On Friday, Pant became the only Indian wicketkeeper to score a century on Australia soil when he smashed an unbeaten 159 and shared a 204-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja, as the visitors declared at 622 runs for seven. The 21-year-old also surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 13-year-old record of highest individual Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper. The former India skipper had scored 148 runs against Pakistan in 2006. Ponting believes Pant will score more Test centuries than his predecessor Dhoni. "He is sort of like another Adam Gilchrist" – Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant after the India wicket-keeper batsman hit an entertaining 💯 at the SCG. READ 👇https://t.co/fofFrxgqLi pic.twitter.com/7CsO9ITloR — ICC (@ICC) January 5, 2019 × "We talk about MS Dhoni all the time and his impact on Indian cricket. He played a lot of Tests for India but made only six Test hundreds. This kid (Rishabh Pant) will make a lot more Test hundreds than that," Ponting said. "He has already scored his second Test ton and a couple of 90s to go with it. Look he is someone who could play a lot of Test cricket for India across formats. Pant is only 21 and is already into his ninth Test." Gilchrist also praised Pant for pacing his innings well. "He played a beautiful innings today (Friday)," Gilchrist told foxsports.Com.Au. "We probably all expected him to bat aggressively from ball one but he showed he can build an inning and then by the end of it allowed himself to play with all the freedom that we know he's got. "It was entertaining. He's a cricketer that I would happily pay to watch." Gilchrist believes Pant has the talent to become a successful Test cricketer. "He's a cricketer that is at the start of his journey so he'll learn these particular parts of the game and he'll learn that there's always more time than what you think, but he's got a great foundation to be a successful Test cricketer," he said. Though he shone with the bat, Pant's keeping wasn't always up to the mark as he dropped Usman Khawaja off Mohammed Shami late on the second day. However, Gilchrist said Pant will become a reliable keeper as he learns from his mistakes. "Although he's missed a few opportunities with the gloves, he's certainly held onto more than he's spilt. If he's prepared to work on his game, I'm sure he'll develop and become a really reliable keeper," Gilchrist said.

Rishabh Pant is another Adam Gilchrist, says Ricky Ponting

Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been magnificent so far in the Test series against Australia. He slammed his second Test century in the first innings of the final Test on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground.&nbsp;

The 21-year-old scored an unbeaten 159 runs off 189 balls to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test.&nbsp;

He also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a hundred on Australia soil.

In the ongoing Test series, Pant earned praises for his batting, wicket-keeping skills and good-humoured on-pitch banter.

Apart from that, the Sydney Test became even more interesting for Pant when a bunch of Indian fans started chanting his name from the SCG stands,&nbsp; singing a hilarious song.&nbsp;

The lyrics of the song goes as: 
"We've got Pant 
Rishab Pant 
I just don't think you’ll understand&nbsp; 
He'll hit you for a six 
He'll babysit your kids&nbsp; 
We’ve got Rishab Pant

The video was posted via the Twitter handle of @thebharatarmy [The Bharat Army], that claims to be the global Indian cricket supporters group.

Watch the song here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> 
We’ve got Pant 
Rishab Pant 
I just don’t think you’ll understand 
He’ll hit you for a six 
He’ll babysit your kids 
We’ve got Rishab Pant 
. 
. 
.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BharatArmySongBook?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BharatArmySongBook</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RishabPant777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RishabPant777</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BharatArmy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BharatArmy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/12thMan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#12thMan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeveGotPant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeveGotPant</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COTI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COTI</a> 🇮🇳👶🍼 <a href="https://t.co/ZiXaPWqi6M">pic.twitter.com/ZiXaPWqi6M</a>
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/thebharatarmy/status/1080987378590728193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Earlier Pant, whose picture of holding Tim Paine's son along with the Australian skipper's wife Bonnie went viral after the "babysitter" banter by Paine.&nbsp;

The incident happened when Pant was batting in the Melbourne Test.&nbsp;

"Big MS (Dhoni) is back in the one-day squad too, we might get him (Pant) down to the (Hobart) Hurricanes we need a batter. Fancy that, Pantsy? Extend your little Aussie holiday. Beautiful town Hobart too, I'll get you a nice apartment on the waterfront. (I'll) have him over for dinner. Can you babysit? I'll take the wife to the movies one night and you'll look after the kids," Paine was heard saying on the stump mic.&nbsp;

However, Pant said, "That (banter) is also one of the methods to keep yourself positive and to keep yourself busy. "

Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been magnificent so far in the Test series against Australia. He slammed his second Test century in the first innings of the final Test on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant has been magnificent so far in the Test series against Australia. He slammed his second Test century in the first innings of the final Test on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground. The 21-year-old scored an unbeaten 159 runs off 189 balls to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test. He also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to score a hundred on Australia soil. In the ongoing Test series, Pant earned praises for his batting, wicket-keeping skills and good-humoured on-pitch banter. Apart from that, the Sydney Test became even more interesting for Pant when a bunch of Indian fans started chanting his name from the SCG stands, singing a hilarious song. The lyrics of the song goes as: "We've got Pant Rishab Pant I just don't think you’ll understand He'll hit you for a six He'll babysit your kids We’ve got Rishab Pant The video was posted via the Twitter handle of @thebharatarmy [The Bharat Army], that claims to be the global Indian cricket supporters group. Watch the song here: #AUSvIND We’ve got Pant Rishab Pant I just don’t think you’ll understand He’ll hit you for a six He’ll babysit your kids We’ve got Rishab Pant . . .#BharatArmySongBook @RishabPant777 #BharatArmy #TeamIndia #12thMan #WeveGotPant #COTI 🇮🇳👶🍼 pic.twitter.com/ZiXaPWqi6M — The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) January 4, 2019 × Earlier Pant, whose picture of holding Tim Paine's son along with the Australian skipper's wife Bonnie went viral after the "babysitter" banter by Paine. The incident happened when Pant was batting in the Melbourne Test. "Big MS (Dhoni) is back in the one-day squad too, we might get him (Pant) down to the (Hobart) Hurricanes we need a batter. Fancy that, Pantsy? Extend your little Aussie holiday. Beautiful town Hobart too, I'll get you a nice apartment on the waterfront. (I'll) have him over for dinner. Can you babysit? I'll take the wife to the movies one night and you'll look after the kids," Paine was heard saying on the stump mic. However, Pant said, "That (banter) is also one of the methods to keep yourself positive and to keep yourself busy. "

Watch: Hilarious song composed for Rishabh Pant by fans

Australia scored a major breakthrough by snaring the key wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara soon after lunch at the fourth Test in Sydney Friday, with the classy Indian falling for 193.

The number three resumed on 130 after completing his third century of the summer on Thursday and hardly played a false stroke before he was caught and bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon. It left India on 418 for six.

It was a heartbreaking end for the stoic right-hander who just missed out a fourth Test double century. His knock lasted a marathon 373 balls with 22 fours.

He survived a review decision for caught behind on 12 and was dropped on 192 by Usman Khawaja from a difficult chance, but was otherwise faultless.

Pujara came to the crease when opener KL Rahul was out for nine and, as he has done all series, quickly dug in, soaking up the pressure and counter-attacking when he sees an opportunity.

Australia scored a major breakthrough by snaring the key wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara soon after lunch at the fourth Test in Sydney Friday, with the classy Indian falling for 193.

Australia scored a major breakthrough by snaring the key wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara soon after lunch at the fourth Test in Sydney Friday, with the classy Indian falling for 193. The number three resumed on 130 after completing his third century of the summer on Thursday and hardly played a false stroke before he was caught and bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon. It left India on 418 for six. It was a heartbreaking end for the stoic right-hander who just missed out a fourth Test double century. His knock lasted a marathon 373 balls with 22 fours. He survived a review decision for caught behind on 12 and was dropped on 192 by Usman Khawaja from a difficult chance, but was otherwise faultless. Pujara came to the crease when opener KL Rahul was out for nine and, as he has done all series, quickly dug in, soaking up the pressure and counter-attacking when he sees an opportunity.

India vs Australia, 4th Test: Cheteshwar Pujara misses double century, falls for 193

Seamer Peter Siddle has been recalled to Australia's one-day international squad for the upcoming three-match series against India after an absence of more than eight years.

Senior batsman Usman Khawaja was also called up after a layoff of nearly two years as Australia look to find the formula to turn around a poor run of form in time for their World Cup defence in England later this year.

Siddle, 34, played his last ODI against Sri Lanka in January 2010 and his inclusion will allow Australia to rest the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood after a long test series against India.

"It's wonderful to have Peter back in the squad for the first time since 2010," said head selector Trevor Hohns.

"His white ball cricket has improved considerably the older he has got, and his selection is great reward for his professionalism and strong leadership qualities.

"With a focus on improving our ability to post competitive totals we've recalled Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Mitch Marsh to the squad."

Aaron Finch retains his captaincy despite being dropped with Mitchell Marsh for the fourth test against India currently ongoing at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Steve Smith and David Warner, banned for a year for their roles in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, will not be available for selection until April.

"Travis Head, Darcy Short and Chris Lynn have been unlucky to&nbsp;miss out," Hohns added.

"All three have had opportunities to cement their spots, but unfortunately, they have not been as productive as we would have liked in recent times when playing ODI cricket for Australia."

The series against India begins at the SCG on January 12 with matches in Adelaide and Melbourne to follow.

Squad: Aaron&nbsp;Finch (captain),&nbsp;Usman Khawaja,&nbsp;Shaun Marsh,&nbsp;Peter Handscomb,&nbsp;Glenn Maxwell,&nbsp;Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh,&nbsp;Alex Carey,&nbsp;Jhye Richardson,&nbsp;Billy Stanlake,&nbsp;Jason Behrendorff,&nbsp;Peter Siddle,&nbsp;Nathan Lyon,&nbsp;Adam Zampa.

Seamer Peter Siddle has been recalled to Australia's one-day international squad for the upcoming three-match series against India after an absence of more than eight years.

Seamer Peter Siddle has been recalled to Australia's one-day international squad for the upcoming three-match series against India after an absence of more than eight years. Senior batsman Usman Khawaja was also called up after a layoff of nearly two years as Australia look to find the formula to turn around a poor run of form in time for their World Cup defence in England later this year. Siddle, 34, played his last ODI against Sri Lanka in January 2010 and his inclusion will allow Australia to rest the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood after a long test series against India. "It's wonderful to have Peter back in the squad for the first time since 2010," said head selector Trevor Hohns. "His white ball cricket has improved considerably the older he has got, and his selection is great reward for his professionalism and strong leadership qualities. "With a focus on improving our ability to post competitive totals we've recalled Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Mitch Marsh to the squad." Aaron Finch retains his captaincy despite being dropped with Mitchell Marsh for the fourth test against India currently ongoing at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Steve Smith and David Warner, banned for a year for their roles in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, will not be available for selection until April. "Travis Head, Darcy Short and Chris Lynn have been unlucky to miss out," Hohns added. "All three have had opportunities to cement their spots, but unfortunately, they have not been as productive as we would have liked in recent times when playing ODI cricket for Australia." The series against India begins at the SCG on January 12 with matches in Adelaide and Melbourne to follow. Squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa.

Peter Siddle, Usman Khawaja return to Australia one day squad for India series

India vs Australia: List of records made on Day 2 of Sydney Test

Rishabh Pant slammed his second Test century while playing against Australia in the first innings of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/indvsaus-4th-test-day-2-india-vs-australia-188106">final Test</a>&nbsp;on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground.&nbsp;

He scored an unbeaten 159 runs off 189 balls to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test.&nbsp;

Pant overtook former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who had smashed 148 runs off 153 against Pakistan&nbsp;is 2006.&nbsp;

A list of highest scores by Asian wicket-keeper outside sub-continent:

159* Rishabh Pant in Sydney, 2019 
159 Mushfiqur Rahim, Wellington, 2017 
137 Moin Khan, Hamilton, 2003 
126 Dinesh Chandimal, Chester-le-Street, 2016

Earlier, he became the first India wicket-keeper to score a hundred in England, repeating the same, Pant also became the first India wicket-keeper to score a hundred in Australia.&nbsp;

The previous highest was Farokh Engineer's 89 at Adelaide in 1967.&nbsp;

Also, he's gone past Virat Kohli's tally this series and became the second-highest run-getter with 350 from seven innings.&nbsp;

Pant, whose innings featured 15 boundaries and one six and his ton came from a four off spinner Marnus Labuschagne.&nbsp;

With a marvellous feat at SCG, Pant completed his highest score in his fledging nine-Test career so far, earlier it&nbsp;was at the Oval against England last year when he hit 114.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Rishabh Pant brings up his second Test century! A fantastic knock from the youngster to put India in a strong position! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvIND</a> LIVE ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/c2fCH8CBUE">https://t.co/c2fCH8CBUE</a> <a href="https://t.co/JdPfBWSKCE">pic.twitter.com/JdPfBWSKCE</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1081051574980526080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A marathon 193 by Cheteshwar Pujara and a quick-fire unbeaten 88 from Rishabh Pant steered India into a dominant position at the final Test Friday with Australia rapidly seeing their hopes of saving the series evaporate.&nbsp;

Calm and collected number three Pujara was finally caught and bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon after a batting masterclass that spanned a day-and-a-half and 373 balls.&nbsp;

The visitors lead the series 2-1 after winning the opening clash in Adelaide and the third one in Melbourne. Australia claimed victory in Perth.&nbsp;

If India, the world's top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch the first-ever series in Australia since they began touring Down Under in 1947-48.&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant slammed his second Test century while playing against Australia in the first innings of the final Test on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground. He scored an unbeaten 159 runs off 189 balls to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test.

Rishabh Pant slammed his second Test century while playing against Australia in the first innings of the final Test on Friday at Sydney Cricket Ground. He scored an unbeaten 159 runs off 189 balls to record the highest ever score by an Indian wicket-keeper in an away Test. Pant overtook former Indian captain MS Dhoni, who had smashed 148 runs off 153 against Pakistan is 2006. A list of highest scores by Asian wicket-keeper outside sub-continent: 159* Rishabh Pant in Sydney, 2019 159 Mushfiqur Rahim, Wellington, 2017 137 Moin Khan, Hamilton, 2003 126 Dinesh Chandimal, Chester-le-Street, 2016 Earlier, he became the first India wicket-keeper to score a hundred in England, repeating the same, Pant also became the first India wicket-keeper to score a hundred in Australia. The previous highest was Farokh Engineer's 89 at Adelaide in 1967. Also, he's gone past Virat Kohli's tally this series and became the second-highest run-getter with 350 from seven innings. Pant, whose innings featured 15 boundaries and one six and his ton came from a four off spinner Marnus Labuschagne. With a marvellous feat at SCG, Pant completed his highest score in his fledging nine-Test career so far, earlier it was at the Oval against England last year when he hit 114. Rishabh Pant brings up his second Test century! A fantastic knock from the youngster to put India in a strong position! #AUSvIND LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/c2fCH8CBUE pic.twitter.com/JdPfBWSKCE — ICC (@ICC) January 4, 2019 × A marathon 193 by Cheteshwar Pujara and a quick-fire unbeaten 88 from Rishabh Pant steered India into a dominant position at the final Test Friday with Australia rapidly seeing their hopes of saving the series evaporate. Calm and collected number three Pujara was finally caught and bowled by spinner Nathan Lyon after a batting masterclass that spanned a day-and-a-half and 373 balls. The visitors lead the series 2-1 after winning the opening clash in Adelaide and the third one in Melbourne. Australia claimed victory in Perth. If India, the world's top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch the first-ever series in Australia since they began touring Down Under in 1947-48.

Rishabh Pant becomes first Indian wicket-keeper to slam century in Australia

Cheteshwar Pujara ground out a masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant smashed a magnificent unbeaten 159 as Australia's hopes of winning the match and saving the series were washed away by a torrent of Indian runs on day two of the fourth test on Friday.

Virat Kohli declared on 622 for seven an hour before the close of play when Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for 81 and Usman Khawaja (5) and Marcus Harris (19) ushered Australia to stumps on 24 without loss.

Pujara came up seven runs short of his fourth double century but there can be little doubt that his nine-hour, 373-ball knock will almost certainly deliver India's first test series victory in Australia.

After a beautifully crafted innings, Pujara went with a whimper rather than a bang before tea, scooping the ball back down the wicket to be caught and bowled by wily off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The 30-year-old's centuries in Adelaide and Melbourne went a long way to giving India a 2-1 series lead and there was relief as well as admiration in the standing ovation he received from the crowd when he finally headed back to the Member's Stand.

Once he had departed, Pant and Jadeja initially maintained his circumspection before throwing off the shackles and hammering home India's advantage with a partnership of 204.

Pant had a bit of a scare six runs short of his second test century when he was close to being run out but made his ground safely and reached the milestone off 137 balls with his eighth four - the first Indian wicketkeeper to do so in Australia.

Jadeja was soon twirling his bat in his trademark celebration of a half century, his 10th in tests, and for while it looked like Pant would overhaul Pujara with a maiden double century.

Australia's much vaunted pace attack were exhausted after two days' toiling for little reward in the Sydney heat and the wicket that finally precipitated the declaration came again from Lyon (4-178).

Jadeja stepped down the wicket to try and dominate the spinner but was deceived by the flight of the ball and bowled to end a 114-ball innings featuring seven fours and a six.

The hosts had started the day with hopes of making major inroads into India's batting order but were largely frustrated, even if Lyon removed Hanuma Vihari for 42 to break the 101-partnership with Pujara.

Pujara's almost chanceless innings -- he was dropped in the slips on 192 -- featured 22 fours and took his tally over the series to 521 runs at an average of 74.42.

Pant, whose innings featured 15 boundaries and one six, blotted his copy book in the final hour by dropping Khawaja behind the wickets but nothing was going to mar another dominant day for the tourists.

Cheteshwar Pujara ground out a masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant smashed a magnificent unbeaten 159 as Australia's hopes of winning the match and saving the series were washed away by a torrent of Indian runs on day two of the fourth test on Friday.

Cheteshwar Pujara ground out a masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant smashed a magnificent unbeaten 159 as Australia's hopes of winning the match and saving the series were washed away by a torrent of Indian runs on day two of the fourth test on Friday. Virat Kohli declared on 622 for seven an hour before the close of play when Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for 81 and Usman Khawaja (5) and Marcus Harris (19) ushered Australia to stumps on 24 without loss. Pujara came up seven runs short of his fourth double century but there can be little doubt that his nine-hour, 373-ball knock will almost certainly deliver India's first test series victory in Australia. After a beautifully crafted innings, Pujara went with a whimper rather than a bang before tea, scooping the ball back down the wicket to be caught and bowled by wily off-spinner Nathan Lyon. The 30-year-old's centuries in Adelaide and Melbourne went a long way to giving India a 2-1 series lead and there was relief as well as admiration in the standing ovation he received from the crowd when he finally headed back to the Member's Stand. Once he had departed, Pant and Jadeja initially maintained his circumspection before throwing off the shackles and hammering home India's advantage with a partnership of 204. Pant had a bit of a scare six runs short of his second test century when he was close to being run out but made his ground safely and reached the milestone off 137 balls with his eighth four - the first Indian wicketkeeper to do so in Australia. Jadeja was soon twirling his bat in his trademark celebration of a half century, his 10th in tests, and for while it looked like Pant would overhaul Pujara with a maiden double century. Australia's much vaunted pace attack were exhausted after two days' toiling for little reward in the Sydney heat and the wicket that finally precipitated the declaration came again from Lyon (4-178). Jadeja stepped down the wicket to try and dominate the spinner but was deceived by the flight of the ball and bowled to end a 114-ball innings featuring seven fours and a six. The hosts had started the day with hopes of making major inroads into India's batting order but were largely frustrated, even if Lyon removed Hanuma Vihari for 42 to break the 101-partnership with Pujara. Pujara's almost chanceless innings -- he was dropped in the slips on 192 -- featured 22 fours and took his tally over the series to 521 runs at an average of 74.42. Pant, whose innings featured 15 boundaries and one six, blotted his copy book in the final hour by dropping Khawaja behind the wickets but nothing was going to mar another dominant day for the tourists.

India vs Australia, 4th Test, Day 2: Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant put India in command of Sydney Test

Cheteshwar Pujara's patient century helped India go past 300 on day 1 of the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney. &nbsp;

The right-handed batsman has been in terrific form this series and have played a few magnificent innings on multiple occasions to save India from drowning. &nbsp;This is his 3rd century in the ongoing series.&nbsp;

Opener Mayank Agarwal also rose to the occasion and hit his second international half-century to give India a decent start, before losing his wicket to Nathan Lyon while trying to hit a big shot. &nbsp;

He departed after making a crucial 77 which includes seven boundaries and two sixes. His first fifty came in the third Test against Australia which was also his debut game.&nbsp;

KL Rahul, who had slammed a century when he last played in Sydney Cricket Ground in 2015, was dismissed for nine by Hazlewood.

Indian Skipper Virat Kohli also sent back to the pavilion after making 23 runs. Kohli won the toss and elected to bat.

Leading the series 2-1, India will aim to win this Test to clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia.

"It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test," Kohli said after the toss.&nbsp;

Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter.&nbsp;

In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc

India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Cheteshwar Pujara's patient century helped India go past 300 on day 1 of the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney. The right-handed batsman has been in terrific form this series and have played a few magnificent innings on multiple occasions to save India from drowning.

Cheteshwar Pujara's patient century helped India go past 300 on day 1 of the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney. The right-handed batsman has been in terrific form this series and have played a few magnificent innings on multiple occasions to save India from drowning. This is his 3rd century in the ongoing series. Opener Mayank Agarwal also rose to the occasion and hit his second international half-century to give India a decent start, before losing his wicket to Nathan Lyon while trying to hit a big shot. He departed after making a crucial 77 which includes seven boundaries and two sixes. His first fifty came in the third Test against Australia which was also his debut game. KL Rahul, who had slammed a century when he last played in Sydney Cricket Ground in 2015, was dismissed for nine by Hazlewood. Indian Skipper Virat Kohli also sent back to the pavilion after making 23 runs. Kohli won the toss and elected to bat. Leading the series 2-1, India will aim to win this Test to clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia. "It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test," Kohli said after the toss. Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter. In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped. Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

IND vs AUS, 4th Test: Pujara masterclass wins the day, India 303/4 at stumps

Mayank Agarwal is close to registering his second international half-century as India end the first session at 69 for the loss of one wicket. His first fifty came in the third Test against Australia which was also his debut game.&nbsp;

Mayank is unbeaten at 42 while Cheteshwar Pujara is batting at 16. The two will resume the game after lunch.

Opener KL Rahul, who had slammed a century when he last played in Sydney Cricket Ground in 2015, was dismissed for nine by Hazlewood.

Earlier, India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney.

Leading the series 2-1, India will aim to win this Test to clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia.

"It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test," Kohli said after the toss.&nbsp;

Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter.&nbsp;

In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc

India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Mayank Agarwal is close to registering his second international half-century as India end the first session at 69 for the loss of one wicket. His first fifty came in the third Test against Australia which was also his debut game.

Mayank Agarwal is close to registering his second international half-century as India end the first session at 69 for the loss of one wicket. His first fifty came in the third Test against Australia which was also his debut game. Mayank is unbeaten at 42 while Cheteshwar Pujara is batting at 16. The two will resume the game after lunch. Opener KL Rahul, who had slammed a century when he last played in Sydney Cricket Ground in 2015, was dismissed for nine by Hazlewood. Earlier, India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney. Leading the series 2-1, India will aim to win this Test to clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia. "It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test," Kohli said after the toss. Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter. In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped. Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

IND vs AUS, 4th Test: Mayank creeps up on second half-century

Virat Kohli failed to impress his fans with his batting as he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 23 on Day 1 of the 4th Test in Sydney against Australia. However, the Indian skipper has bagged another major record to his name as he became the fastest to reach 19000 international runs, again surpassing his idol Sachin Tendulkar.&nbsp;

The Indian captain broke several records in 2018 and has started off the new year with another big one.

While Tendulkar reached the landmark in 432 innings, Kohli took 33 less as he reached the same point in his cricketing career in 399 innings.&nbsp;

Following the duo are West Indies' Brian Lara (433), Australia's Ricky Ponting (444) and South Africa's Jacques Kallis (458), in the top 5.

The 30-year-old Delhi lad ended 2018 with a total of 2735 international runs, which comprised 11 hundreds, to cap-off another stellar calendar year.

Having concluded the year with 1322 runs in 13 Tests, averaging over 55, Kohli hence ended the period as the top-scoring batsman in the format, justifying his position as the No. 1 Test batsman in the world.&nbsp;

In ODIs, meanwhile, Virat scored 1202 runs in 14 matches that brought about a total of 6 centuries.

Virat Kohli failed to impress his fans with his batting as he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 23 on Day 1 of the 4th Test in Sydney against Australia. However, the Indian skipper has bagged another major record to his name as he became the fastest to reach 19000 international runs, again surpassing his idol Sachin Tendulkar.

Virat Kohli failed to impress his fans with his batting as he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood for 23 on Day 1 of the 4th Test in Sydney against Australia. However, the Indian skipper has bagged another major record to his name as he became the fastest to reach 19000 international runs, again surpassing his idol Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian captain broke several records in 2018 and has started off the new year with another big one. While Tendulkar reached the landmark in 432 innings, Kohli took 33 less as he reached the same point in his cricketing career in 399 innings. Following the duo are West Indies' Brian Lara (433), Australia's Ricky Ponting (444) and South Africa's Jacques Kallis (458), in the top 5. The 30-year-old Delhi lad ended 2018 with a total of 2735 international runs, which comprised 11 hundreds, to cap-off another stellar calendar year. Having concluded the year with 1322 runs in 13 Tests, averaging over 55, Kohli hence ended the period as the top-scoring batsman in the format, justifying his position as the No. 1 Test batsman in the world. In ODIs, meanwhile, Virat scored 1202 runs in 14 matches that brought about a total of 6 centuries.

4th Test: Kohli surpasses Tendulkar to score fastest 19000 international runs

India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney on Thursday.

The visitors lead the series 2-1 after winning the opening clash in Adelaide and the third one in Melbourne. Australia claimed victory in Perth.

If India, the world's top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia.

Mayank Agarwal opens the batting with KL Rahul, with Hanuma Vihari dropping down to number six to cover for Rohit Sharma, who is unavailable after his wife gave birth.

First-choice spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was declared not fit, with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the side to play alongside finger-spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

"It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test."

Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter what is expected to be a turning Sydney Cricket Ground wicket.

In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped.

"We need to improve on all areas, need to do the basics better. Ball-by-ball, bit of an old-school cliche," said Australia skipper Tim Paine.

Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc

India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Ian Gould (ENG)

TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

If India, the world's top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia.

India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat in the fourth and final Test against Australia in Sydney on Thursday. The visitors lead the series 2-1 after winning the opening clash in Adelaide and the third one in Melbourne. Australia claimed victory in Perth. If India, the world's top-ranked nation, win or draw in Sydney they will clinch a first-ever series victory in Australia. Mayank Agarwal opens the batting with KL Rahul, with Hanuma Vihari dropping down to number six to cover for Rohit Sharma, who is unavailable after his wife gave birth. First-choice spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was declared not fit, with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the side to play alongside finger-spinner Ravindra Jadeja. "It will be tougher to bat as the game goes on, so ideal for us to bat," said Kohli. "We haven't discussed the series win, we're focused on this game, and this is just an opportunity to win a Test." Australia axed underperforming opener Aaron Finch with Usman Khawaja moved up from number three and middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb recalled to counter what is expected to be a turning Sydney Cricket Ground wicket. In a surprise, leg-spinning all-rounder Marnus Labuschagne has been called into the side and will bat at three. Mitch Marsh was also dropped. "We need to improve on all areas, need to do the basics better. Ball-by-ball, bit of an old-school cliche," said Australia skipper Tim Paine. Australia: Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Tim Paine (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc India: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Ian Gould (ENG) TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA) Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

Ind vs Aus, 4th Test: India win toss, bat in fourth Australia Test

india-vs-australia

India Vs Australia, News on India Vs Australia, stories on India Vs Australia, articles on India Vs Australia, India Vs Australia stories at Wion, India Vs Australia news, India Vs Australia latest news

india vs-australia