Picture Credit: X
After drawing the T20I series and thereafter clinching the three-match ODI series by 2-1 margin, the Men in Blue will take on the Temba Bavuma-led side in a two-match Test series, starting December 26 in Centurion. The Test series will see the return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah after India's heartbreaking loss at the ODI World Cup 2023. On the other hand, the six-time World Champions, Australia will take on the Men in Green in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Here in this article, we’ll look at all the big news that took place on Monday, December 25, but before that, let's check the matches scheduled for the day.
Today’s match preview:
South Africa vs India 1st Test: The first Test of the two-match series will have South Africa play against India at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. These two cricketing nations haven’t competed in a Test match after defeating West Indies in their respective series a few months ago during the summer time. But still, the lack of five-day cricket won’t deter the Indian cricket team in their quest to defeat South Africa in a Test series away from home for the first time in history.
Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test: Australia will take on Pakistan in the second Test of the three-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The Australian cricket team put together a dominating performance in the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth to extend their winning run to 15 straight matches against Pakistan. The margin of defeat by 360 runs has put the Men in Green in a very precarious position heading into the Boxing Day Test match versus Australia at the MCG in Melbourne.
BBL 2023-24:
- Sydney Sixers vs Melbourne Stars: Sydney Sixers are scheduled to square off against the Melbourne Stars in Match 14 of the Big Bash League 2023-24 on Tuesday. The match is scheduled to take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney at 12:35 p.m. IST. While the Sixers are comfortably sitting at the second place in the points table having won all three games so far in the tournament, the Stars are reeling at the bottom of the standings as they are yet to open their winning account.
- Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Renegades: The Aaron Hardie-led Perth Scorchers will take on the Melbourne Renegade in the second match of the day at the Perth Stadium. The Match 15 is scheduled to be played from 3:45 p.m. IST. Talking about their standings, the Scorchers are sitting at the third place, having won two of their game and one match ending in a no result, the Renegades are seventh in the points table with one no result and three losses.
Major cricket events that happened on December 25
KL Rahul to keep wickets in SA vs IND 1st Test, confirms Dravid
Team India Head Coach Rahul Dravid on the eve of Christmas confirmed that KL Rahul, who led the Men in Blue to a 2-1 ODI series win against South Africa to keep wickets in the opening Test at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The Proteas Men will lock horns with Team India in a two-match Test series, starting December 26.
India Women announce ODI and T20I squads for upcoming Australia series
The Women in Blue on Monday, 25 December 2023 announced their squads for the white-ball leg of the Australia series after registering a historic win against the Aussies in the one-off Test. While Harmanpreet Kaur will continue to lead the side, Smriti Mandhana will fulfill the duties as her deputy in the upcoming series along with star players like Jemimah Rodrigues, Sneh Rana, Deepti Sharma in their ranks. While the three-match ODI series will be played from 28th December till January 2, the T20I series will be played from 5 to 9 January 2024.
Rohit Sharma opens up on his future in T20Is ahead of the Boxing Day Test
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma while speaking ahead of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa was asked about his participation in T20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted jointly in West Indies and the USA. "Desperation is to play cricket, everyone wants to do well and play all the games. Everyone will get their chance..." Rohit started off. However, after a brief pause he added, "Mujhe pata hai kya bolna chahate ho aap, jawab milega aapko uska (I know what you want to say and you will get to know everything very soon)."
Usman Khawaja hits out at ICC for ‘Double Standards’ after ban on his dove logo
After the ICC rejected Usman Khawaja' request to put a dove sticker on his bat and shoes ahead of Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, the veteran opener ha now called out the cricket's global governing body over its double standards. However, this comes after he was cleared to sport the logos by Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association in the Test but was rejected by the ICC a per Clause F which speaks of "Clothing and Equipment Regulations".
Yasir Arafat named Pakistan's high-performance coach for New Zealand T20Is
Yasir Arafat is set to join Pakistan squad as the high-performance coach for the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January. He comes in as a replacement for Simon Helmot, the current high-performance coach, who is out due to personal commitments.
