Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane will lead a depleted India into the second Test starting Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the venue where they sealed their historic Test series in 2018-19. ....

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who will be leading India in the Boxing Day Test against Australia, is unfazed by the absence of two of the three bowlers who played a key role in helping the team win the 2018-19 Test series, saying the onus lies on bowlers to bowl in partnerships. ....

Shubman Gill and Mohammad Siraj will be making their debuts in the second Test of the ongoing four-match between Australia and India beginning Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ....

In a first, the Ice Hockey Association of India will hold a national tournament in the newly developed open-air rink amidst the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh's Spiti Valley, a cold desert, officials said on Friday. ....

The uncertainties of cricket played a cruel joke on the Indian team in the first Test match against Australia in Adelaide. Indian supporters and fans were aghast when India posted their lowest ever total of 36 runs in their second innings. The super stars of modern India, considered to be the best cricket team that India has ever produced, looked amateurish. They now need to resurrect and forget the appalling performance. ....

The Indian cricket board's Annual General Meeting (AGM) has approved the addition of two more franchises for the Indian Premier League (IPL) from the 2022 season. The decision came after weeks of speculations over the addition of new teams as also the interest shown by the Adani Group and RPSG (RP-Sanjeev Goenka) Group. ....

Former India speedsters Chetan Sharma, Abey Kuruvilla, and Debashish Mohanty were on Thursday added to the senior national selection panel, and they will replace Sarandeep Singh, Jatin Paranjape, and Devang Gandhi, whose tenures ended in September, it was announced on Thursday. Sharma will be chairman of the five-man panel. ....

Cricket Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to host the third Test of the ongoing four-match series against India as per schedule at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) despite the Covid-19 outbreak on Sydney's northern beaches. ....

Australia head coach Justin Langer has praised his team's Test captain Tim Paine for his performance and leadership, calling him their "most important player". Langer, however, added that Adam Gilchrist remains the best-ever wicketkeeper-batsman for transforming the game of cricket. ....

For the first time in 40 years, Australia cricketers will spend Christmas and take field for the Boxing Day Test on Saturday without their families. The Boxing Day Test, beginning on December 26 i.e. the day after Christmas, has been a regular fixture in Australian summer since 1980. ....

Beating Granada 2-0, Real Madrid enjoyed its sixth consecutive win in LaLiga to tie leader Atletico Madrid on 32 points in the standings but stays second on goal difference. ....