India

Tendulkar was in his home city of Mumbai to witness first-hand Kohli set a new benchmark in ODIs with a typically assured 117 off 113 balls that laid the foundations for India’s mammoth 397 for four.

After moving to three figures off 106 balls, Kohli leapt and punched the air, briefly sunk to his knees before rising and soaking up the acclaim from a frenzied crowd, including Tendulkar and David Beckham.

Tendulkar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, he “couldn’t be happier that an Indian broke my record” as Kohli moved into a class of his own in his 291st ODI – 172 fewer than his former team-mate.

New Zealand battled hard in the chase but their hopes of a third successive World Cup final appearance were dashed despite an excellent 134 from 119 balls from Daryl Mitchell as they were all out for 327.

Fast bowler Mohammed Shami’s career-best seven for 57 took him to the top of the tournament’s wicket-taking charts after only six outings and was instrumental as the 1983 and 2011 champions gained a measure of revenge for being dumped out at the same stage of the 2019 tournament by the Black Caps.

After ending a run of semi-final defeats and claiming a 10th straight win in a tournament they are dominating, India can look forward to a showdown against either Australia or South Africa on Sunday.

There was controversy before the toss because of a late switch from a fresh to a used pitch but Kohli’s landmark innings, containing nine fours and two sixes, relegated the issue to a mere subplot.

Rohit Sharma lit the touchpaper for an India onslaught after they won the toss with 47 off 29 deliveries, while Shubman Gill contributed an unbeaten 80 off 66 balls despite struggling with cramp.

Kohli moved quickly through the gears alongside first Gill, who retired hurt on 79 before returning late on, then Shreyas Iyer, who thumped eight of India’s 19 sixes in his 105 off 70 deliveries.

This was Kohli’s day, though, and he got to his ton with a slap across the line, coming back for a second run before taking in the acclaim as Kiwi captain Kane Williamson offered his congratulations.

Kohli eventually holed out to deep backward square-leg off Tim Southee, who claimed three for 100, but India buttressed their total by adding 110 in the last 10 overs as New Zealand’s bowlers were flayed.

The 2015 and 2019 finalists slipped to 39 for two as Shami brushed the outside edges of Devon Conway then Rachin Ravindra but Williamson and Mitchell combined for 181 off 149 balls to frustrate India.

Mitchell was especially attacking – thumping seven sixes overall – and when Shami spilled a simple chance at mid-on when Williamson was on 52, the momentum was creeping slowly towards New Zealand.

Shami, though, atoned when Williamson miscued into the deep on 69 and Tom Latham was lbw two balls later to put India back in the driving seat, shortly after Mitchell had brought up an 85-ball hundred.

Mitchell kept plugging away but the required run-rate spiralled well into double figures before he gave Shami his five-for after whipping to Ravindra Jadeja on the boundary, and with him went New Zealand’s hopes.

Shami bagged Southee and Lockie Ferguson in the penultimate over to become the fifth bowler and first Indian to record a seven-wicket haul in a World Cup match as New Zealand were all out with seven balls unused.

Aaron Finch and David Warner dominated proceedings as Australia cruised to a 10-wicket victory with 12.2 overs to spare in response to India's disappointing 255 all out at Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.

A miserable start to the three-match series saw India captain Kohli caught and bowled by Adam Zampa for 16 just after he had hit the spinner for six.

Kohli is the world's number one batsman in the 50-over format but 16 is in fact his highest score from fourth in the order as part of a dreadful seven-innings streak that dates back to January 2015.

"We've had this discussion many times in the past," Kohli, who dropped down the order after Rohit Sharma's return, said to Star Sports.

"Because of the way KL Rahul has been batting, we have tried to fit him in the batting line-up.

"Having said that, I don't think it's quite gone our way whenever I've batted number four, so we'll probably have to rethink about that one.

"All in all, it's about giving some guys opportunities and you'll never know if this works or not if you don't try. 

"It's very easy to just go with one template and just follow it non-stop. I think people need to relax and not panic with one game, I'm allowed to experiment a little bit and fail as well at times. 

"You lose games here and there, but this was one of the days where it didn't come off."

Rahul (47) put on 121 for the second wicket along with Shikhar Dhawan (74), but his dismissal proved the turning point for Australia's bowlers, as India quickly fell to 164-5.

Set 256 to win, Warner (128 not out off 112 balls) and Finch (110no from 114) enjoyed a day to remember with the highest opening stand in an ODI against India, leaving the hosts with plenty to think about before the second game in Rajkot on Friday.

"It's just one bad day at office," added Dhawan. "We played well against West Indies before. As a team we back each other, and we don't focus too much on a loss.

"They played really well. We were a bit unlucky as well, like a few top edges went here and there, they didn't go in the hand.

"When KL got out, at that time we planned to accelerate and those four wickets we lost, that's where we lost the momentum.

"From there, we were targeting 300 runs and because of loss of wickets we ended up scoring less runs on that sort of a wicket. In bowling, we could not take wickets and they outplayed us. It is the captain's choice [where he bats]."

Kohli withdrew from the first two Tests citing personal reasons and several Indian media outlets are reporting his absence will extend into at least the next two matches in Rajkot and Ranchi this month.

While there has been no official confirmation about the speculation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Kohli could also be unavailable for next month’s fifth and final Test in Dharamshala.

With almost 9,000 Test runs and 29 centuries banked, Kohli, who averages 56.38 on home soil against England, has been a big miss in India’s middle-order in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.

Shreyas Iyer has failed to pass 35 in his four innings but could be given a stay of execution if Kohli, the former India captain, continues to sit out.

It has also been reported India are giving serious consideration to resting Jasprit Bumrah when the series, currently level at 1-1, resumes in Rajkot next week in a further boost to the tourists’ hopes.

Bumrah was in electrifying form in Vizag with a match haul of nine wickets for 91 runs, helping him become the first India paceman to go top of the International Cricket Council’s Test bowling rankings.

Despite a 10-day gap between the end of the second and start of the third Tests, India are said to be mindful of Bumrah’s workload after returning from back surgery last year.

The 30-year-old has bowled 57.5 overs in the series so far and could be kept fresh for the fourth and fifth Tests.

Ahead of naming their squad for the third Test later this week, India must decide whether all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and batter KL Rahul are ready to return from injury.

Cricket across the globe is currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, though a schedule for Australia has been drawn up for later in the year.

After facing Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series at venues yet to be determined, Australia will play three Twenty20s against both West Indies and India.

Perth Stadium will then host a one-off Test against Afghanistan in November, with a four-Test series against India – along with three ODIs – scheduled for December.

However, the Perth venue has not been selected to host any of the Tests, with Brisbane preferred, a decision which has left WACA's top officials bemused.

"This is the second time we haven't had India scheduled, the last time we were told it was because our venue wasn't good enough and if we supported a new stadium, this would never happen again, and here we are again," CEO Matthews told reporters.

"I want to make it clear, hosting a Test is a privilege, not a right and we understand that, and we're as privileged to host Afghanistan as anyone else and we'll certainly put on a really good show and welcome Afghanistan to the Test arena in Australia.

"But suffice to say, not having India tour here for the second time in six years is very disappointing for us, for our members, for our fans, and I daresay for the government who has put in a lot of time and effort into creating a stadium that has been recognised around the world as the most beautiful stadium in the world and in fact, was rated as the second-best cricket ground in Australia in a survey.

"So we've been a little bit bemused and disappointed how we haven't been scheduled for one of the prime series in the cricket calendar."

WACA chairman Waldrom added: "I actually think it's the wrong decision, we made a really compelling case, along with the government to CA, I looked at that again this morning, and when I went through it, I just can't understand why they'd make that decision.

"I do understand it's difficult for CA, they have to make the call and we will now pick up the cudgels and we'll get on with it. Afghanistan are an exciting, emerging team.

"But I am disappointed and I actually think it is a kick in the guts to WA, to all our cricket-loving people in WA and to our WACA members.

"When you've got one of the best stadiums in the world and when you've got the second-best cricket venue, the time slot back to India for TV, to me it's a no brainer.

"I understand it's a tough decision for CA, good luck to Queensland and we wish them all the best. We'll keep putting the pressure on because we've got a responsibility to cricket in WA, to cricket supporters, to fans and to our members."

Australia endured a batting collapse on Monday as India put themselves within touching distance of victory at the MCG.

The hosts were reduced to 133-6 at stumps on day three, with a lead of just two runs, after losing four wickets for just 28 runs in the evening session. 

However, there was some controversy over one of the dismissals, when Australia captain Tim Paine was judged to have been caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja.

Paul Reiffel's on-field decision of not out was overturned by third umpire Paul Wilson, who gave Paine the benefit of the doubt in a contentious run-out call in the first innings.

Paine was clearly frustrated, with the decision having been based on a Snicko spike and no evidence of an edge showing on Hot Spot.

Though that was the correct procedure, Wade has called for consistency, with Australia's review against Cheteshwar Pujara on day two – when there was no mark on Hot Spot and a minor spike on Snicko – not resulting in the India batsman being sent on his way.

"From what I've seen it looked pretty similar to the first ball of yesterday, the one we actually referred, I think it was off Pujara," Wade, who made 40, said in a news conference.

"So from all reports and what I've seen, Snicko showed a very similar thing, one was given out and one was not out.

"That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, but that's what it looked like from where we've been sitting and watching.

"I heard a noise on the Pujara one, I was at first slip at the time, and his bat was the only thing out there, and then we saw what you guys saw on the ground, which was a small spike. Either way if it was out or not out, consistency is all you want as a player."

Cameron Green (17 not out) and Pat Cummins (15 not out) saw Australia, who lead 1-0, through to stumps and Wade is hoping the pair can frustrate the tourists on day four.

"[India] bowled pretty well, pretty straight, made it hard for us to go out and score," he said. "But we've only got ourselves to blame.

"We'll take anything [in terms of a lead]. It'll be really nice for these two to get a nice partnership together – something we haven't done enough over this Test match. Anything over 100 would be good."

Virat Kohli made 85 from 61 deliveries but India still came up short in reply to the home side's total of 186-5, which was aided by a plethora of mistakes by the tourists in the field. 

Opener Matthew Wade helped Australia post such an imposing target, the left-hander making 80 from just 53 deliveries – his highest score in the shortest format at international level. 

Glenn Maxwell contributed an entertaining 54 after twice being given reprieves; he was firstly dismissed off a no ball from Yuzvendra Chahal on 19, then dropped by Deepak Chahar when he had 38 to his name. 

Maxwell made the most of the opportunities to add 90 runs for the third wicket in partnership with Wade, who was eventually trapped lbw by Shardul Thakur in the 19th over. 

India lost KL Rahul to the second ball of their reply before managing a run and while Shikhar Dhawan (28) and captain Kohli put on 74 for the second wicket, the ever-rising run-rate left the visitors with too much to do in the closing stages. 

Having been inexplicably dropped by Steve Smith early on, Kohli's hopes of a first T20 hundred for his country disappeared when he fell to a smart catch in the deep by Daniel Sams off the bowling of Andrew Tye. 

However, it had been Australia's leg-spinners who were the stars with the ball, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson combining for figures of 4-44 from seven overs. 

Thakur smashed two late sixes but an equation of 27 from the final six balls was always too much to ask from India's tail, their innings finishing on 174-7. 

The two teams will now switch their focus to Test cricket, as the four-match series gets under way with a day-night contest in Adelaide next week. 

He also revealed that there are concerns about the fitness of opener Deandra Dottin, who suffered an injury in the match against India but remained hopeful she will be fit to face Australia.

It was a disappointed Walsh that faced the media on Monday when he conceded that the West Indies Women did not play well against India.

“We had one really bad game against India. I think India did pretty well against us and it’s something that we have to look at,” Walsh said, adding that India should not have scored as many as the 317-8 they put on the board before bowling the West Indies Women out for 162.

“It was not a 320 pitch I think; when I looked at it. I thought if we could restrict them to 270-250. We didn’t execute as well as we could have or should have.”

In reply, the West Indies Women got off to a good start reaching 100-0 in the 13^th over before everything went off the rails.

“It was a decent batting track, I thought, at the start of it and they did make full use of it. They’ve got a little bit more turn as the game went on. But that doesn’t make it any issue is we just executed poorly (sic)," Walsh said.

"The team knows that once you play well enough, we can beat any team, so we are hopeful we are going to play good cricket [on Tuesday]."

Warner has missed the opening two Tests of the series, which is locked at 1-1, due to an adductor injury.

The left-hander's return in Sydney, where the third Test begins on Thursday, would be a huge boost to Australia's struggling batting line-up.

But Warner said on Saturday it was unlikely he would be at full fitness for the clash.

"We've got a training session today and tomorrow so I can't give you any more indication of where I'm at. I haven't ran the last couple of days but after today and tomorrow it will probably give me a better indication of where I am," he told a news conference.

"Am I going to be 100 per cent? Highly doubtful. But I'll be doing everything I can to get on that park and play and even if that means I'm not 100 per cent, I'll be doing everything I can to let the selectors give me that green light."

Australia's highest score of the series so far came in the second innings in Melbourne as they made 200.

Warner's return would be a major boost, but the opener said he was likely to be restricted if he played – and his running between wickets would be a key factor.

"Batting in the nets the other day it probably actually helped me because I had to wait for the ball to be in my actual area and I didn't have to throw my hands at it so it made me play nice and tight," he said.

"For me, you're going to have some restrictions here and there but at the end of the day it's about myself. When you get into the game, adrenalin takes over as well so you don't cast any doubt over the fact that you can't play those shots."

Warner added: "For me, it's about my speed between wickets, that's all that matters, it doesn't matter about what shots I can and can't play, it's about the drop and run, helping the guy at the other end get off strike, they're the things that I work on and they're the things I like to be 100 per cent fit for.

"In this case, I'm most likely not going to be, but I'm going to have to try and work out myself in the nets how I'm going to manage that and that's the most important thing to myself and this team."

Warner suffered an injury to his neck during the second T20I match against England on Wednesday, which forced him to miss the series finale on Friday – a match that was abandoned due to rain.

Finch is unsure whether his fellow opener will be fit enough to face India, but has no concerns over Warner's availability for the clash against New Zealand on October 22.

"I think he would definitely be right for New Zealand," Finch said. "I'm not sure about the warm-up game against India.

"I think he was okay the day after he hit his head and then the following day, his neck got really sore and stiff.

"We'll wait and see what it's like. If he's fit he'll play. If he's still a little bit sore, we'd err on the side of caution.

"I think when you've got experienced players who know what they need to do to be ready for a tournament, you're not too concerned whether they play that game or not."

Finch also confirmed Australia are taking it easy with all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh in a bid to avoid injury flare-ups.

Stoinis missed both T20I series against India and the West Indies with a side injury he sustained in September, while Marsh has not bowled in a match since injuring an ankle in the ODI series against Zimbabwe in August.

"Stoinis, the reason he wasn't available to bowl yesterday was just prior injury history," Finch explained.

"Every time that he's tried to come back and ball back-to-back games coming off the same injury he has struggled and got a niggle on the back of it. So, we went with the conservative route there."

"Mitch has been building up his bowling at the moment.  He just hasn't been at the intensity to go into a game that's required especially so close to a World Cup."

Warner and captain Aaron Finch both posted stunning unbeaten centuries to seal a remarkable 10-wicket victory in the first match of the ODI series in Mumbai on Tuesday.

After India were dismissed for 255 at Wankhede Stadium, Warner blasted 128 (not out) and Finch scored 110 (not out) as Australia reached the target with 12.2 overs to spare.

Warner became the fastest Australian to 5,000 ODI runs in just 115 innings with his 18th 50-over ton and the star batsman savoured the performance.

"I have a hunger and a desire to score runs all the time," Warner, 33, said afterwards.

"I'm really making the most of it at the moment, my feet are moving well. I'm getting my head over my front leg. Weight is going through the ball.

"When you are in that kind of form and touch and everything is going well for you, you have to make sure you are practising the same and doing all the hard work."

Warner has been in devastating form for Australia over the summer, with scores of 335 (not out), 154, and 111 in Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand, while he celebrated his maiden Twenty20 century against Sri Lanka.

After a forgettable Ashes campaign in England where he managed just 95 runs at 9.50 last year, Warner added: "It's not by fluke that I'm coming out here and doing what I am doing.

"I look back at the beginning against Pakistan, I trained a lot going into the first Test match," Warner said.

"JL [head coach Justin Langer] noted to me I had been batting for almost two hours in that session which is unlike me.

"I didn't play a Shield game leading in and I felt like I needed to bat time. It put me in real good stead for the summer."

Australia's Smith and India's Kohli are two of the finest batsmen of their generation, occupying first and second spot respectively in the current Test rankings.

The duo are set to meet if India's tour of Australia – scheduled to begin in October – goes ahead, although significant doubt remains as the coronavirus pandemic continues to pose a threat.

If it should go ahead, Warner expects to see great things from the two leading men, who he says act as figureheads for their sides.

"When it comes to cricket, they both have got the mental strength, the mental capacity to score runs," Warner told Cricbuzz.

"They stabilise, they boost morale – if they score runs, everyone else's morale is up. If they are out cheaply, you almost sense that on the field that everyone is … [down on morale and thinking] now we all have to step up. It's a very bizarre situation.

"They both love spending time in the middle. Virat's passion and drive to score runs is different to what Steve's would be.

"Steve is going out there for a hit in the middle, that's how he sees things. He's hitting them out in the middle, he's having fun, he's enjoying himself, just does not want to get out.

"Virat, obviously, doesn't want to get out, but he knows if he spends a certain amount of time out there, he's going to score plenty of runs at a rapid rate.

"He's going to get on top of you. That allows the guys coming in [to play their own game], especially in the Indian team you've got a lot of players who can be flamboyant as well."

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, opening batsman Marcus Harris and wicketkeeper Josh Inglis have earned recalls with few major shocks in the Australian touring party. Marsh missed most of the Australian summer due to an ankle injury.

Harris was preferred ahead of in-form opener Cameron Bancroft, despite the latter topping the 2022-23 Sheffield Shield scoring charts by almost 300 runs, with 945 runs at 59.06 including four centuries.

Peter Handscomb, Ashton Agar, Mitch Swepson and Matthew Kuhnemann miss out on selection after being called in for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India. Fast bowler Lance Morris is unavailable for selection due to a back injury.

Matthew Renshaw has retained his spot after scoring two centuries for Australia A against New Zealand A earlier this month, while 35-year-old Warner will return after a fractured elbow sustained during the India series.

Warner's selection will raise eyebrows, having scored just one Test century in his past 32 innings, albeit a gritty 200 in the recent Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

The veteran opener averaged only 9.5 across 10 innings in that last Ashes in England in 2019, with Stuart Broad dismissing him seven times.

Australia will take on India in the World Test Championship final from June 7 at The Oval in London, followed by the five-Test Ashes series from June 16 at Edgbaston. The selectors have clarified they will revisit the squad after the first two Ashes Tests.

"The UK is a very different assignment from our most recent tour of India and some of the changes are based upon the conditions we are anticipating," National Selection Panel Chair of Selectors George Bailey said.

"Marcus, Josh and Mitch return to the squad and provide valuable depth and flexibility within their respective skillsets.  

"We see value in revisiting the squad following the second Ashes Test given the short turnaround between the WTC final and the first Ashes Test, along with the length of the tour."

Australia won the 2021-22 Ashes on home soil 4-0, while the 2019 series in England ended 2-2. The Australians will compete in the World Test Championship final for the first time with New Zealand beating India to the inaugural crown in 2021.

Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Warner will sit out the blockbuster clash as he continues to recover from a groin injury, which sidelined him for the opening Test in Adelaide, where Australia won by eight wickets.

The 34-year-old Warner suffered an adductor injury during the second ODI against India last month as he watched Australia humble the tourists in the day-night contest at Adelaide Oval.

Australia paceman Abbott has returned to full fitness, but he will also be absent for the second Test due to Cricket Australia's (CA) strict biosecurity protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Warner and Abbott both departed for Melbourne on Saturday as a COVID-19 outbreak moves through Sydney, though they will be unable to enter the squad's hub.

"David Warner and Sean Abbott will re-join the Australian men's Test squad ahead of the third Test against India," a CA spokesman said.

"Warner and Abbott spent time in Sydney outside the team's bio-secure hub to recover from injury. While neither player has been in a specific 'hotspot' as outlined by NSW Health, Cricket Australia's biosecurity protocols do not allow them to re-join the squad in time for the Boxing Day Test.

"Warner has not fully recovered from a groin injury suffered in the ODI Series against India and would not have been available for the second Test match, while Abbott has recovered from a calf strain sustained during Australia A's tour match against India and would have been available for selection for the Boxing Day Test.

"The pair travelled from Sydney to Melbourne to continue their rehabilitation given the changing public health situation in Sydney at the time."

Matthew Wade and Joe Burns opened the batting for Australia in the first Test against India, and the pair are in line to continue atop the order.

Wade (33) and Burns (51 not out) put on a 70-run stand as Australia embarrassed Virat Kohli's India, who were held to a record-low Test score of 36 in the second innings.

The Boxing Day matchup will be the 100th men's Test between Australia and India, just the seventh fixture in the game's history to reach a century of iterations – Australia have won 43 of their previous 99 Tests against India (D27, L28).

Steve Smith (1,431) needs just 69 runs to become the fifth Australia player to reach 1,500 Test runs against India. His batting average of 79.5 from his 22 innings is the highest of any Australian to have logged more than six innings against them.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon requires nine more wickets to reach 400 in Test cricket – only Shane Warne (708) and Glenn McGrath (563) have taken more for Australia in the men's format.

Warner, 34, suffered an adductor injury during the second ODI against India last month and will miss the Test series opener, which begins in Adelaide on December 17.

The left-hander is pushing to return for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

"I feel I have made great progress in a short amount of time and it's best for me to stay here in Sydney to continue working on getting back to full fitness," Warner said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The injury feels a lot better, but I need to be able to satisfy in my own mind and to my team-mates that it is 100 per cent ready for Test match conditions.

"That includes running between the wickets and being agile in the field. Right now I feel I am short of being able to play at peak fitness and another 10 days will make a difference."

Australia head coach Justin Langer praised Warner, saying: "If there is one guy you know will go well above and beyond that's Dave.

"He has done an incredible job to get to where he is today and we hope to have a fully fit David Warner at his absolute best in Melbourne."

Much of the talk ahead of the series has centred around Warner's opening partner for the first Test, with Will Pucovski pushing for Joe Burns' spot.

Burns' poor form continued with scores of four and a duck in Australia A's drawn tour match against India.

The in-form Pucovski, meanwhile, made one in the first innings and was on 23 in the second before retiring hurt after being hit in the helmet by a Kartik Tyagi bouncer.

Australia A's second tour match against India begins in Sydney on Friday.

Warner was substituted out of the second Test defeat after the first day, having been struck on the grille of his helmet while batting facing Mohammad Siraj during his innings.

The 36-year-old left-hander also copped another delivery to his elbow, with X-rays confirming he had sustained a hairline fracture which will end his Test series at a time when he has been under pressure to hold his spot.

"David Warner has been ruled out of the Qantas test tour of India and will return home," CA said in a statement on Tuesday.

"After further assessment, he will require a period of rehabilitation which will preclude any further involvement in the remainder of the Test series.

"It is currently anticipated that he will return to India for the three One-Day Internationals which follow the Test Series."

Warner's departure follows fast bowler Josh Hazlewood who has been ruled out with Achilles soreness, while captain Pat Cummins has rushed back to Australia for a family health issue.

Australia are 2-0 down in the series, with India having already retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following batting collapses by the tourists in both Tests.

Warner had struggled in his three innings with the bat in India, managing only 26 runs, having ended his Test century drought with a double hundred during the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.

Renshaw replaced Warner as a concussion substitute in the second Test, although Travis Head opened the batting in his absence in the second innings.

All-rounder Cameron Green is in line to return for Australia following a finger injury, with the third Test to commence in Indore on Wednesday March 1.

Burns is under pressure ahead of the first Test against India, with Will Pucovski starring for Victoria to begin the Sheffield Shield season.

In 27 Test innings, Burns and Warner have scored 1,365 runs at an average of 50.55, including averaging 65.4 against Pakistan and New Zealand in 2019-20.

Warner is happy with the stability of Burns, but said Pucovski – who has scored 495 runs at an average of 247.5 to begin the Shield campaign – was in fine form.

"To be honest, I've had over a dozen opening partners and it's never been quite stable," he told a news conference on Monday.

"Obviously, when I was batting with 'Bucky' [Chris] Rogers, we had a great partnership and we bonded really well together out in the middle. I think something with me and Joe, we've done that over the past few years.

"I've known Joe for a long time. We've played out in the middle together, we know each other's game very well but, at the end of the day, it's upon the selectors to pick the right person to fit that position.

"If they go the way of Will, he is obviously batting fantastic. He has been in and out of the Test squad and, obviously, removed himself in some sad times, obviously, with his mental stuff.

"He is in the right frame of mind at the moment. It probably is an opportunity for him to come into the team but, as we know, it's harder to get out of this team than get in. Whoever they go with, I will be well and truly happy with as long as that person who comes in does their job.

"At the moment, I didn't think Joe did anything wrong last summer. We put on some great partnerships, averaged over 60 and that's what you want from your opening partnership so at the end of the day, it's upon the selectors to pick their team and I've got to be happy with that and just embrace it."

As Pucovski has starred, Burns has scored just 57 runs in his five Sheffield Shield innings.

Warner said he saw no reason to change a partnership that has worked with Burns, who averages 38.3 in Tests.

"It's not a thing where the coach and selectors will come to me and ask me. It's just a preference," Warner said.

"I have batted time with Joe Burns before in the middle. I know exactly what we are about when we're out there, building a partnership and building a bond.

"We won a lot of games last year. For me you don't really break something that's actually working, it's usually the opposite. When things aren't going your way, you've got to find problems and solutions, that's the only thing I can sort of back that answer up with.

"To get into the Australian team, you've got to put numbers on the board and Will's an exceptional talent and a great player for years to come especially, he's in the right mind frame at the moment. This next sort of [Australia] A game is probably going to be the tell all, it could be the bat off for that position so it's going to be interesting to see and obviously it's up to the selectors to pick the team at the end of the day, not me."

The first Test between Australia and India is set to begin in Adelaide on December 17.

Warner suffered a groin strain as Australia clinched an ODI series victory over India thanks to Sunday's 51-run win in Sydney.

The Australia star has returned home to begin rehabilitation ahead of the opening day-night Test in Adelaide on December 17.

Warner will miss Wednesday's third and final ODI in Canberra, as well as the three-game Twenty20 series – D'Arcy Short the batsman's replacement.

Pat Cummins, who has no injury concerns, will also sit out the short-format games, though no replacement has been called up for the paceman.

"Pat and Davie are critical to our plans for the Test series," said Australia head coach Justin Langer.

"Davie will work through his injury rehab and in Pat's case it is important all of our players are managed well to keep them mentally and physically fit throughout what is a challenging summer.

"The priority for both is being fully prepared for one of the biggest and most important home Test series we have played in recent years, especially with World Test Championship points up for grabs."

Australia recorded their biggest ODI score at the SCG after reaching 389-4, the country's second highest overall on home soil, as Steve Smith posted a 62-ball century.

It was the highest total conceded by India in an ODI away from home – four of the five highest totals conceded have come at the hands of Australia, with three in Sydney.

In the end, the West Indies were comfortably beaten by six wickets but at one point seemed set for a higher total than the 157 for 7 that the team eventually posted.  At 72 for 2, at the start of the 10^th over, the West Indies had a set Pooran and Roston Chase at the crease and seemed set to build on a solid enough foundation.

 The introduction of leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, however, threw a wrench into those plans as he immediately removed Chase who struggled to come to grips with the spinner before being dismissed for lbw.  Bishnoi, who ended with 2 for 17, then removed the dangerous Rovman Powell later in the over.  The debutant was the chief but not the team’s only issue as Yuzvendra Chahal had also proven difficult to get away on occasion.

“We played the spinners ok today, we would want to continue that and continue to build partnerships,” Pooran told members of the media following the match.

“We still need to negotiate the spinners a bit better, I think today we were caught in two minds how to go about them.  Whether to attack them or keep them out of the game and we got caught in both minds there.”

Pooran top-scored for the Windies with 65.

The 41-year-old T20 superstar is yet to make an appearance for Kings XI who are off to a slow start to the IPL season.  After 5 games, the team sits at the bottom of the table with just one win and four losses.  The team has, however, so far not necessarily struggled with batting, having scored over 200 in two of the five games.

Jaffer, however, believes that Gayle’s match-winning capabilities could yet help the team turn their poor form around.

“It should happen soon. As I said, it needs to happen sooner than later. We don’t want to bring them when every game is a must-win game. Hopefully, we will have those guys featuring soon,” Jaffer told news agency Press Trust of India from Dubai.

“Chris looks very much ready and is keen to get on to the park, he has been training really well and has looked really good in the nets,” Wasim Jaffer said.

“He is such an impact player, we all know what he can do. I hope he turns up and turns it on straight away and changes the tide for all of us. He looks hungry and that is a very good sign for the franchise,” he added.

“I am hoping he plays quickly. We need match-winners, as many as possible. Not just for the next game, also for the rest of the tournament as he can easily win you four-five games on his own,” he further said.

Root came into the fourth Test having not reached 30 in the series while a couple of uncharacteristic dismissals recently led to scrutiny on whether he should tailor his methods to fit the ‘Bazball’ philosophy.

The argument has been Root does not need to alter his approach and he put his lean patch behind him with a more traditional Test innings to amass 106 not out as England went to stumps on 302 for seven.

The 33-year-old rescued England after they had slipped to 112 for five in a helter-skelter opening session on a cracked Ranchi pitch and Crawley believes the Yorkshireman is the only batter who could have dug the tourists out of the fire.

“He’s probably the only bloke in our team who could have done that knock, he’s that good and he’s stepped up when we needed him to,” Crawley said.

“He’s a phenomenal player. We fully expected him to get a good score at some point in this series. He was due, he’s the best player we’ve ever had and he played phenomenally.

“We’re so happy for him and we never doubted him. If anything we know that when he’s got a couple of low scores he’s even more likely to get the big one, and we expected that from him.

“He deserves everything he gets, he works so hard at his game and he always comes good.”

Root’s 31st Test hundred – brought up off 219 balls, the slowest century by any England batter under the leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum – was marked in understated fashion as he kissed the badge on his helmet and raised his bat to team-mates who were celebrating enthusiastically on the dressing-room balcony.

There was no sign of the reverse ramp he had gotten out to in Rajkot, which proved a sliding doors moment in England’s heavy defeat as they went 2-1 down in the five-match series, while conventional and reverse sweeps were rare occurrences.

Root was unbreachable in defence, judicious off front and back foot and unfurled his customary late cuts and leg glances behind square, while there was also the odd cover drive.

Crawley, though, insisted a surface offering early movement and uneven bounce throughout dictated Root’s more classical innings, rather than widespread criticism he has faced in the last few days.

“If the pitch had been truer, I reckon he would have still played those shots,” Crawley said.

“It might have just been the variable bounce which stopped him sweeping and paddling, it wasn’t really the pitch for that kind of thing; it was too inconsistent.

“In Dharamshala (which will host the fifth Test), it’s a flatter wicket, I’d fully expect him to reverse ramp one. That’s just Joe. He’s very present when he bats and doesn’t overthink too much.”

England went at 4.63 an over in the morning thanks to counter-attacking knocks from Crawley, who made a run-a-ball 42, and Jonny Bairstow’s 38 off 35 deliveries.

But the tricky surface, rather than a brain fade, was largely responsible for England’s precarious position at lunch, with Crawley bowled twice by Akash Deep, the first off a no-ball, as the India debutant bagged a three-wicket haul.

While the odd one still kept low, batting conditions improved upon the resumption as Root and Ben Foakes (47) combined to put on 113 to stabilise the tourists.

Crawley hopes England’s seamers can make similar inroads with the new ball but anticipates spin to dominate for the remainder of the match.

“I got out still fairly early but it looked like it wasn’t bouncing anywhere near as much or as quickly as earlier on against seam,” Crawley added.

“It got harder against the spin, it will continue to break up. It might be a new-ball wicket, hopefully it is when we bowl but the I think the spin’s only going to get harder.”