Andre Russell returns, but will be staying 2 meters away from teammates

Hobart's Bellerive Oval set to host the final Ashes Test: Reports

If the Australian media are to be believed then Hobart’s Blundstone Arena is scheduled to host the fifth and the final Test match of the ongoing Ashes series between Australia and England. Known as Bellerive Oval, the stadium can hold close to 25,000 people at a time and is known for the abundant amount of movement it provides to the pace bowlers owing to its close proximity to the sea. The final Test was scheduled to be held at Perth in the Western Australia province, but strict Covid guidelines have made it impossible for the organisers to host a game there. Speaking to the media last week WA Premier Mark McGowan had in no uncertain terms stated that players and staff will have to go through a full period of quarantine if they wish to play at Perth. Cricket Australia have been in an intense struggle with the England and Wales Cricket Board about the quarantine arrangements and it was understood that ECB would not agree to such demands made by McGowan. With no choice but to oblige, CA were forced to shift the game and Hobart was chosen as the preferred venue. The official announcement is expected to be made later this evening.

The Ashes | Root stabilises innings; makes most runs for England in a calendar year

England captain Joe Root and number 3 Dawid Malan stabilized the visitors and took them over 100 runs for the loss of two wickets at the end of Day 3 at Gabba. In the process, the talismanic right hander became the highest run-scorer for England in a calendar year surpassing Micheal Vaughan longstanding record. Root has been in tremendous form over the last year and has now scored 1482 runs to break Vaughan's record of 19 years. However, things did not come easy for England on Day 3 at the Gabba. After getting on the wrong end of an Australian assault for the most part of the morning session, England were able to bowl them out but not before Australia posted a mammoth first innings total of 425 runs. Coming into bat in the second innings, England once again had an unceremonious start to the innings with Rory Burns looking very fidgety against Mitchell Starc. He was given out on a pair, but the Decision Review System came to his rescue and he survived an embarrassing figure on the first Test of the tour. However, he could not survive for long as an absolute peach from captain Pat Cummins kissed a part of his gloves and went to the keeper’s hand. Once again struggling at 23-1 in 9 overs, England avoided another downfall with opener Haseeb Hameed and Malan anchoring down and seeing the innings through to the 21st over of the game. However, another trickle down to the keeper, this time against Starc called the time on Hameed’s batting in this Test match. Since then, England have added 56 runs and at the time of writing are batting at 11-7 with Root (34 off 56) and Malan (37 off 99) at the crease a few overs into the final session

Efforts were made to sabotage my appointment as Indian coach: Ravi Shastri

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri in a detailed interview with the Times of India has opened up on his two coaching tenures with the Indian national team. He has spoken elaborately about the formation and the brand of cricket under his tutelage and how the Indian team transformed in the last few years. When asked about his sacking and the subsequent reappointment a year or so later, Shastri stated that there were people who wanted to sabotage his second stint with the men’s team. “During my second stint, I came after a huge controversy. And it was literally egg on the faces of those who wanted me away. They opted for someone and nine months later they came back to the very guy they threw out.” Shastri spoke on the appointment front. “...I’m not pointing any fingers in general. Specific people. I must say an attempt was made to ensure that I don’t get the job,” Shastri stated without taking any names. He further added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India were not very keen on appointing Bharat Arun as coach either, but then he would turn out to be one of the finest India had ever produced. Shastri would then go onto make India a powerhouse in international cricket by finding a core fast bowling group who would do incredible things overseas. At the core of the change would be Virat Kohli, under whose tutelage India would win their first Test series in Australia.

Walk the talk - How Ravi Shastri found the captain in Virat Kohli

When Ravi Shastri entered the Indian dressing room during his first tenure as the Indian coach, the Indian team was in a disarray. Rocked by back to back overseas defeats in the longest format of the game, the confidence meter was right at the bottom. Shastri took his time and turned that team into a champion Test squad that would go on to dominate all conditions over the next five years, and at the core of that was Virat Kohli. In an interview with The Times of India, the former Indian coach spoke of the time when he took charge as the director of the team and how he found the captain in Virat Kohli. “...once I came on board, my first challenge was to identify who could walk the talk,” explained Shastri. He added that he found Virat Kohli as the person, who possessed the character, game and personality to fill in Dhoni’s shoes. “We began to talk on various issues - batting techniques, the path forward, lots of things. And I think it really came to surface in Australia, when he finally bought into everything we discussed. He was absolutely ready to walk the talk - not just in the way he played his game but the way we wanted to play the team.” “We lost that series 2-0 but I remember Alan Border walking up to me at the end of the series in Sydney and said, ‘Rav, well done man. Not many teams bat out the last day to save Test matches at colosseums’.” Kohli and Shastri would then go onto establish India as the best touring side in the world, winning Test series across almost all conditions. The highlighted of the duo would be India’s first victory in the Australian soil, which they would repeat in the next tour as well winning an enthralling game at the Gabba.