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From his 122 at a tough, cracked and troubling surface at Perth's WACA Stadium back in 2013 in his early 20s, Stokes has come a long way from being a brash, hard-hitting all-rounder to a mastermind behind the chaos that is 'Bazball', alongside the head coach Brendon McCullum. Stokes-McCullum's hard-hitting, positive and attacking brand of cricket would be put to test in Australia, where England is yet to win a Test after their 2010/11 triumph.

The series will be a vital one for Root's legacy, who, despite his massive Test numbers, centuries and records in the 2020s, is yet to score a Test century in Australia. While he is the second-highest run-getter of all time in Test cricket and is chasing the record of Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 runs), scoring a Test century in Australia will be massively beneficial to Root's legacy. A brilliant tour with the bat would solidify him as a batter who has scored runs in all conditions and oppositions.

Before the opening Perth Test starts a week from now, a massive topic of debate will be the number three spot: whether Labuschagne will get his reward for the domestic grind or whether the Aussies will look at Green, who has also started to bowl, as a long-term number three option. So far in the Sheffield Shield, Labuschagne has emerged as a top-run-getter, with 402 runs in four matches at an average of 67.00, with two centuries and a fifty in six innings.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam led India's charge at the Asian Archery Championships 2025 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, clinching gold medals in both individual and team events, and spearheading the country's impressive five-medal haul in the compound section.

Former Australian batter Greg Chappell sees shades of India's legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar when he witnesses England's rising sensation Harry Brook dazzle with the bat on the crease.

Ruturaj Gaikwad led India A to a thrilling five-wicket win in the first unofficial ODI against South Africa A at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, slamming a solid century to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Thursday.