Cricket

Steven Smith, Australia's batting mainstay, will relinquish his opening role in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series against India. The decision, initiated by Smith himself, was confirmed by George Bailey, the chair of selectors.Smith's request to move back down the order had been in the works even before Cameron Green's season-ending back injury. Bailey revealed that Smith, in discussions with captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald, had expressed his desire to return to the middle order."Pat, Andrew, and Steven Smith had been having ongoing conversations separate to the untimely injury to Cameron anyway," Bailey said. "And I think Steve had expressed a desire to move back down from that opening position."The move back to the middle order opens up two spots in the top six, with Green's absence creating a vacancy at No. 4 and Smith's departure leaving the opening slot vacant. Bailey hinted that Smith would have moved regardless of Green's injury, but declined to speculate on the exact configuration of the top six had Green been fit."Part of those discussions have been had and what it might look like," he said. "But I guess once you do get moving parts, a lot of those conversations become null and void."The selectors are likely to opt for a specialist opener to replace Green and return Smith to his preferred position. Bailey downplayed the need for an extra bowling option in the top six, noting that Australia's attack has played without an allrounder before."They've done it in the past," Bailey said. "You don't know how each Test is going to play out in terms of the workload for the quicks, or how much of an impact Nathan Lyon's going to have across the summer."The focus now shifts to Australia's domestic openers, with Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, and Sam Konstas emerging as potential candidates to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. Bailey suggested that Konstas could put himself in the mix with continued strong performances."He's in the mix as are plenty of others," Bailey said. "I certainly don't want to single single him out. I think the consistency of Cam Bancroft over a number of years, the consistency of Marcus Harris over a number of years, they've both had a look at Test cricket as well."

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has expressed his admiration for Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, stating that he wishes Pant was an Australian player. In an interview ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Test series, Marsh praised Pant's character and competitive spirit."He's a ripping bloke. I wish he was Australian. He's obviously been through a lot over the last few years, and it's been a hell of a comeback. He's a positive guy, still really young, and he loves winning. He's highly competitive for someone who has the persona of being relaxed and always laughing and smiling. He's got that big smile," Marsh said.Marsh's teammate Travis Head echoed similar sentiments, describing Pant as "the Indian cricketer I believe is most Australian." Head highlighted Pant's aggressive nature and work ethic as qualities that would make him a valuable asset to any team.Pant responded to the video of the interview on Instagram with a series of emojis, indicating his appreciation for the compliments.Meanwhile, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood emphasized that his team would prioritize devising strategies to counter young Indian batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill during the Border-Gavaskar series. Hazlewood acknowledged that Australia has limited experience playing against these players and would need to execute their basics effectively to win the series.The five-Test Border-Gavaskar series will commence in Perth on November 22, with India aiming to extend their dominance on the prestigious trophy. Australia, on the other hand, will be determined to showcase their bowling might and win it back after successive losses at home in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh recently shared a captivating personal anecdote from the infamous 2007/08 Border-Gavaskar series, shedding light on a humorous incident that occurred amidst the controversy surrounding the 'Monkeygate' scandal.During an appearance on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Yuvraj revealed that he was romantically involved with an actress who happened to be working in Australia at the time. Despite his request for her to refrain from visiting him due to his focus on the crucial series, she surprised him by following him to Canberra.Yuvraj's performance in the first two Tests was underwhelming, and he couldn't help but wonder if his girlfriend's presence was a distraction. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when she decided to pack his suitcase, leaving him with only her pink slip-ons."In the morning, I was like 'where are my shoes?' She said, 'I packed them.' I asked, 'How would I go on the bus'? And she said, 'Wear mine,'" Yuvraj recalled.With no other options available, Yuvraj was forced to wear the pink slip-ons to the airport, much to the amusement of his teammates. "I had to wear pink slip-ons to the airport until I bought flip-flops there," he added.Yuvraj's revelation has sparked curiosity among cricket fans, who are eager to know the identity of the actress. However, the World Cup winner has chosen to keep her name a secret.

Australia's Test team faces a crucial decision ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series against India: who will open the batting alongside Usman Khawaja? Steven Smith's four-match stint as an opener has been met with mixed reviews, prompting speculation about potential alternatives.Despite Smith's initial request to open, his performance in New Zealand has raised concerns. His scores of 31, 0, 11, and 9 on pitches favoring new-ball bowlers have cast doubt on his suitability for the role.Coach Andrew McDonald has stated that the incumbent top six from the New Zealand series will remain for the first Test against India, but discussions are ongoing. If Smith is not retained as an opener, several options emerge.Marnus Labuschagne:Labuschagne could swap positions with Smith, moving from No. 3 to open. He has experience opening in first-class cricket, including a century at the WACA in 2016. However, moving Labuschagne from his successful position at No. 3 may not be ideal.Cameron Green:Green was considered as a potential opener before Warner's retirement. He has the skills to do it, but his heavy bowling workload and preference for No. 4 make it an undesirable option.Travis Head:Khawaja has suggested Head as the best partner for him, allowing Smith to return to No. 4. Head has opened in Test cricket in India, but his mediocre record against spin in the subcontinent is a concern.Mitchell Marsh:Marsh has made it clear that he is not comfortable moving to the top of the order. His technique is not suited to batting against the new ball, and his bowling will be crucial throughout the summer.The selectors face a difficult decision. Smith's desire to open must be balanced against the team's overall balance and the strengths of the other candidates. The upcoming Shield matches will provide further insights into the team's plans.