David Warner will captain Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League this season in the absence of injured regular skipper Rishabh Pant.

The Capitals confirmed on Thursday that Warner had been selected to stand in for Pant, who is recovering from a serious car accident.

Pant's car caught fire in December causing multiple injuries that required surgery earlier this year. He has been ruled out of cricket for 2023.

Head coach Ricky Ponting was among the figures to make the decision to name Warner as captain, meaning Axar Patel will again serve as vice-captain as he did in the 2022 campaign.

"Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and we're all going to miss having him around," Warner said in a team statement.

"I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust they've always shown in me.

"This franchise has always been home for me, and I couldn't be more excited to lead such a supremely talented bunch of players."

Warner was an IPL winner with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and returned to Delhi last season, having previously played for the franchise when they were known as the Daredevils.

The batter is set to play in a three-match ODI series for Australia against India ahead of the IPL, which starts on March 31.

He will be spending much of the year in India, with those two commitments helping his preparation for the Cricket World Cup, which is being held in the country from October.

Warner, 36, was the leading run-scorer for the Capitals in last year's IPL, tallying five fifties and a total of 432 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.

However, Delhi narrowly missed making the play-offs, the first time in four seasons they had failed to qualify. Gujarat Titans took the title in their first season.

India and Australia will renew their rivalry following a gripping Test series with a three-match One-Day International series starting Friday.

It offers an ideal precursor for this year's World Cup, hosted by India in October and November, with both nations eager to rip the title off 2019 winners England.

Australia have assembled a strong squad for the tune-up series, where Steve Smith will lead the tourists as skipper, with Pat Cummins remaining at home following the death of his mother last week.

David Warner returns from the fractured elbow that prematurely ended his Test series, while big-hitting all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell are also back following long-term ankle and leg injuries.

They are two of several all-rounders in the squad as Australia search for the best mix for their World Cup side, with Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott and Ashton Agar in contention.

"We've gone in with a structure with eight batters to bat a little bit deeper, we've tried that," said Australia coach Andrew McDonald.

"There'll be a mix of combinations as we lead into the World Cup. A lot of all-rounders [have been] picked in the squad and they can all play in the one team, so we've got to answer a few of those questions."

India captain Rohit Sharma will miss the opening ODI at Wankhede Stadium due to family reasons, with Hardik Pandya to lead the side in his absence, while Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the series with a back injury.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will also be absent due to a long-term back injury.

It is difficult to establish any form lines given the disjointed nature of ODIs, but India have won their last seven matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while the tourists have won nine of their last 10 (L1), including their last six on the bounce, having secured a 3-0 win against England in their last ODI series.

India's imposing home ODI record

India are always a difficult assignment at home, having won their last seven home multi-game bilateral ODI series, along with 13 of their last 14.

However, Australia are the side responsible for that one defeat, winning 3-2 in March 2019 in India where Usman Khawaja was Player of the Series.

Warner not a spent force

Warner may be in the twilight of his international career, with speculation about his future in the Test side, but he is not a spent force in white-ball cricket and is targeting this year's 50-over World Cup.

The 36-year-old is one century away from 20 ODI hundreds, with only Ricky Ponting (29) boasting more for Australia. The left-handed opener has scored 50 or more in six of his past eight ODIs against India.

Reigning World 100m champion Fred Kerley has described Jamaica’s Usain Bolt as the gold standard of sprinting, saying he and others have been inspired by the iconic Jamaican, who holds the world records in both 100 and 200m.

Kerley returned to the United States recently after a stint in Australia where he clocked a fast 20.32 in a 200m race at the Maurie Plant Meet in February before storming to victory in 44.65 over 400m at the Sydney Track Classic last Saturday.

In a subsequent interview on ABC Radio in Australia, Kerley, who has a wild-card entry to the World Championships in Budapest in August, said he plans to add to the gold medal he won last year in Oregon but ultimately wants to win Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

His career goal, however, is surpassing Usain Bolt’s accomplishments. The Jamaican is the only man to win the sprint double at three consecutive Olympic Games and holds the Olympic records of 9.63 and 19.30 in the 100m and 200m, respectively.

“He inspired a lot of generations,” Kerley said of Bolt. “We try to duplicate or step foot where he stepped foot on. He is the golden standard for track and field. We all try to achieve all he achieved in his lifetime.”

Though he would love to be able to break the Jamaican’s world records, winning gold medals remains his top priority, Kerley said.

“For us to step in the same journey is all about the gold medals and stuff right now,” he reasoned. “The more gold medals I get, the more I can put in the history book. Records come and go, but golds last forever.”

India secured their spot in the World Test Championship Final after a draw in the fourth Test with Australia sealed a 2-1 series win.

Travis Head (90), Marnus Labuschagne (63no) and Steven Smith (10) took Australia to 175-2 and 84 runs ahead when handshakes were exchanged at Narendra Modi Stadium, with the hosts keeping hold of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

With New Zealand beating Sri Lanka with the final ball earlier on Monday, India will now look ahead to the WTC Final at the Oval in England in June – where they will face Australia again.

A largely uneventful day of cricket in Ahmedabad favoured the batters, with India having established a 91-run first-innings lead on Sunday.

Matthew Kuhnemann (six) fell early to an lbw from Ravichandran Ashwin (1-58) but Australia found their batting rhythm with Head and Labuschagne forging a 139-run stand before Axar Patel (1-36) dismissed the former.

On a slow pitch, no further wickets fell and the only question heading into the final session was whether Labuschagne could achieve what Head fell just short of – reaching a century.

However, the teams shook hands at the earliest possible opportunity, with 17.5 overs remaining, to declare a draw and confirm a fourth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that ended 2-1 to India.

Head falls short

On a day that offered little excitement, Head hit 12 boundaries to finish agonisingly short of reaching his first Test hundred overseas.

However, a score of 90 now stands as Head's highest tally not on Australian soil, with a total of 760 runs in the 2022-23 season his best ever.

Patel limits Australia

The pitch in Ahmedabad did not favour bowlers yet it was navigated well by Patel, who brought the end to Head's charge for a century.

In 19 overs, Australia scored 36 runs with Patel bowling to result in an economy rate of 1.89 – the second-lowest tally on the day from a player with more than five overs.

Virat Kohli ended his long wait for a Test century in style as India moved into an 88-run lead over Australia in the fourth and final Test.

India have already retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after winning the first two Tests, but following defeat in the third, need a win to be sure of a place in June's ICC Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's.

A draw or a defeat would leave the door open for Sri Lanka to take their place with a 2-0 series win over New Zealand. Sri Lanka need nine wickets to win the first Test on Monday's final day.

Defeat for India is very unlikely after Kohli scored his first hundred in the longest format since November 2019, his stunning 186 and Axar Patel's 79 lifting the hosts to 571 all out, with Australia reaching the close 3-0 to start their second innings.

With one day's play remaining, a draw will be the expected outcome, but the match will now be remembered for Kohli masterfully ending his drought. 

He resumed on 59 with India on 289-3 and was scarcely troubled as Australia laboured on a slow pitch, allowing Kohli to bring up Test century 28 with a clipped single through square, bringing only a reserved celebration from the former captain but a rapturous reception from the raucous Ahmedabad crowd.

Commentator and former India coach Ravi Shastri proclaimed "a 600-kilo gorilla is off his back" and Kohli certainly played with freedom thereafter, reaching 150 with successive boundaries as he smacked a glorious cover drive and then threaded another four through midwicket.

His support was not as obdurate as Kohli but provided ample help in moving the scoreboard, Srikar Bahrat hitting two fours and three sixes in his 44 and Axar letting loose with five fours and four maximums.

Kohli eventually holed out at deep midwicket to bring the India innings to a close. His drought over, India will hope they have done enough to give him the opportunity to produce a similar display in London with the championship on the line.

Kohli ends 1,205-day drought

Not since scoring 136 against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens nearly three and a half years ago had Kohli reached three figures.

That is a remarkable amount of time for a player of Kohli's quality, which shone through as he scored his 75th international century, reaching that figure in 552 innings. Fellow India great Sachin Tendulkar took 566 to achieve the same feat.

Gavaskar mark equalled

Kohli's hundred was his eighth against Australia in Test cricket, moving him level with Sunil Gavaskar for the second most by an India batter. Tendulkar (11) still holds the record for centuries versus Australia in red-ball cricket for India.

Jofra Archer would be content with playing just one Test during England's home Ashes series later this year as he steps up his playing time after an injury-plagued couple of years.

Having spent almost two years on the sidelines with elbow and back problems, Archer returned to international cricket in January for England's ODI series against South Africa.

Archer had bowling figures of 6-40 – the third-best for England in an ODI – in the last match of that series, while he has since stepped up his involvement with ODI and T20I appearances in England's ongoing tour of Bangladesh.  

The 27-year-old is desperate to be involved when England bid to regain the Ashes from Australia in June and July, though he says anything more than one outing would be a bonus.

"If I can play one game this summer, I'll be happy," Archer told reporters. "If I play more than one, that's just a bonus.

"Coming back and playing cricket for England again means I have already done what I wanted to do.

"I said 18 months ago I was going to be back. Now I'm back. Hopefully I have a long career, so it makes no sense doing too much too soon.

"We have got so much cricket to play – genuinely, playing for England you never stop. You're going 11 months a year, pretty much... There's a lot of cricket and I want to play a lot of cricket."

Archer made his Test debut during England's last home Ashes series, in which Australia retained the urn following a 2-2 draw, and he is planning to draw on that experience next time out.

"I've played in the Ashes already, so you know most of the things that come with it," Archer said. "The pressures, the media, the situations are not going to be anything unknown. 

"The only thing unknown at the moment now would be fitness and if you can actually get through a whole Test match.

"I don't have much expectation except to finish the game. That is the biggest part, to get through 20 [overs] in an innings, maybe 40 or 50 in a game. Obviously I want wickets, but getting overs in is more important."

Shubman Gill made a brilliant century as Australia could only take three India wickets on a slow-moving day three of the fourth and final Test.

Replying to Australia's 480 all out at the Narendra Modi Stadium, India were trailing by 191 runs at stumps on Saturday after closing on 289-3.

Opening batter Gill dug in for his highest Test score of 128 in Ahmedabad, where Virat Kohli was well set on 59 at stumps and Ravindra Jadeja was still there on 16 as Rohit Sharma's side strive to win a series they lead 2-1.

Spinners Todd Murphy, Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann claimed a wicket apiece as Australia toiled in the heat on a pitch offering little encouragement for the bowlers.

An opening stand of 74 between Rohit (35) and Gill ended when the captain struck a Kuhnemann delivery to Marnus Labuschagne at short cover, but the tourists were unable to make further inroads in the morning session.

The watchful Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara found runs hard to come by after striding out after lunch at 129-1, but they looked untroubled in a partnership of 113 before Murphy trapped the number three lbw for an obdurate 42.

That breakthrough came just before tea, which India took on 188-2 after Gill had swept Murphy for four to reach three figures.

Kohli started with positive intent to get the scoreboard ticking and Gill continued to look comfortable until he was struck on the pad in front by Lyon, leaving India 245-3.

Steve Smith wasted a review for an lbw shout against Jadeja off the bowling of Murphy and Kohli brought up an 107-ball half-century by working Lyon off his hip for two as India chipped away at Australia's lead.

India will look to build an advantage on day four, knowing they have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but need a win to be guaranteed to face Australia once again in the World Test Championship final in June.

Patience pays off for Gill

Gill laid the foundations with a superbly constructed innings, biding his time as faced 235 balls and wore the Australia bowlers down.

This was his second Test hundred after his first against Bangladesh last year and should cement his spot at the top of the order. 

He struck 12 fours and a six, launching Lyon over the rope in the final over on day two.

Kohli looking ominous

Former captain Kohli was rock solid in defence and aggressive at every opportunity, giving himself a great chance to register a 28th Test century.

Australia will need to see the back of the 34-year-old before too long on Sunday if they are to have a realistic chance of squaring the series at 2-2.

Australia put themselves in a strong position in the fourth Test against India after Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green's impressive partnership and a late surge from Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy saw them post 480 in their first innings.

Resuming day two on 255-4, Khawaja (180) and Green (114) piled more runs on to frustrate the hosts with a fifth-wicket partnership of 208, while Australia's tail also wagged.

Ravichandran Ashwin produced figures of 6-91 to stop the tourists from doing even more damage, before Rohit Sharma (17 not out) and Shubman Gill (18 not out) made a promising start to India's reply, ending the day 36-0, still trailing by 444 runs.

Khawaja and Green continued their impressive partnership from day one, with the latter hitting his maiden Test century before a sweep attempt saw him glove one from Ashwin to Srikar Bharat.

Ashwin soon found his groove as he removed Alex Carey for a duck and Mitchell Starc for six, while Khawaja was finally out lbw after a review off the first ball after the tea interval from Axar Patel.

Lyon (34) and Murphy (41) were in the mood to play some shots though, and had plenty of joy as they struck 11 fours between them in a ninth-wicket partnership of 70, before both fell to Ashwin.

The surface in Ahmedabad has been kinder to batters than others in the series, and Rohit and Gill had few problems seeing off Australia's bowling attack in their 10 overs before close.

Gill launched the first six of the match in the final over of the day off Lyon, but India still have plenty to do to get close to the Baggy Green's first innings total.

Khawaja shows patience is a virtue

Khawaja had already reached three figures on day one, but continued his impressively mature innings alongside Green on Friday, lasting 422 balls in all, the most faced of any Australian batter in an innings in India in Test history.

After the day ended, Green said: "Ussie helped me so much out there. It is really special."

Ashwin overtakes Kumble in Australia battles

It must be a strange feeling for a bowler to post numbers as impressive as 6-91 but see the opponents still score almost 500 runs.

It may be consolation for Ashwin that his 113 wickets in total means he has surpassed Anil Kumble (111 wickets) and equalled Lyon to become the joint-leading wicket-taker in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Usman Khawaja delighted in scoring Australia's first red-ball century in India for six years after his unbeaten 104 guided the tourists to 255-4 on day one of the fourth and final Test.

The opener carried the bat through sweltering conditions at Narendra Modi Stadium with a resolute knock to put the visitors on track for their best total of the series.

His efforts halted a long wait for an Australian to reach triple figures in a Test innings in the country, with interim captain Steve Smith the last to achieve it in 2017.

For Khawaja, his performance was a fitting pay-off for previous visits to the country where he failed to get on the pitch, offering a satisfying start to the final game in Ahmedabad.

"There was a lot of emotion in that," he said. "I have been to India on two tours before this, and carried the drinks in all eight Test matches. It was a long journey.

"To finally get a hundred in India, as an Australian, that's what you want to do, that's what you want to tick off. It's very special.

"It was such a nice wicket; I just didn't want to give my wicket away. It was a mental battle more than anything. You need to put your ego away. It was a battle all day."

Australia are looking to tie the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after they claimed a nine-wicket victory in the third Test earlier this month, following losses in the first two games.

Usman Khawaja ground out a gutsy century to put Australia on top after day one of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad.

The opener said he had completed "a long journey" by finally making it to three figures on what is his third tour of India in the long format.

Australia amassed 255-4, with Khawaja 104 not out at stumps, reaching his ton with a boundary from the first ball of the day's final over.

A nine-wicket victory for Australia in the third Test last week has fuelled hope they could complete a fightback from 2-0 behind to draw this series, and this start boded well.

While it was Khawaja's day, others helped the score along, with Travis Head making a brisk 32 at the top of the innings and captain Steve Smith adding a hardy 38 from 135 balls before falling to an inside edge off Ravindra Jadeja.

Mohammed Shami bowled Marnus Labuschagne (3) and Peter Handscomb (17), but Cameron Green cracked a rapid 49no containing eight fours as he kept Khawaja company late in the day.

Khawaja got to 99 with a single from the final ball of the penultimate over, making it a nerve-jangling end to day one as he retained the strike to face Shami.

The 36-year-old left-hander held his nerve, clipping away a leg-side four to make it a day for him and Australia to savour. It took him 246 deliveries to get there, and Khawaja will look to bat on deep into Friday to pile pressure on India.

Comeback on the cards?

After day one, Australia will be fancying their task in this match. They are seeking back-to-back men's Test wins against India for the first time since December 2014, and the last time they had consecutive wins in a series in India was in December 1969. India have not lost more than one game in a men's Test series on home soil since losing 2-1 to England in November-December 2012. The hosts can't lose this series, of course, but a draw might feel like a defeat given they won the opening two Tests.

Classy Khawaja

Six of Khawaja's 14 Test tons have come since the start of 2022, underlining what a sensational late-career revival he is enjoying. This was his first Test century against India at any ground, with his previous highest score having been the 81 he made last month in Delhi. In an end-of-day interview, he recalled being a drinks carrier on his first two tours of India, but this time he is making his presence felt.

India have made one change for the fourth Test with Mohammed Shami returning to replace Mohammed Siraj while Australia goes in unchanged at Ahmedabad.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the coin toss and elected to bat on Thursday, as the tourists seek a victory to level the four-game Test series at 2-2, having won the third Test in Indore by nine wickets. Both captains indicated they would have batted first if they won the toss.

India skipper Rohit Sharma added that the Ahmedabad pitch is "not a surface which we saw in the first three Tests" which were dominated by spin.  

Australia maintained their three-spinner approach, with Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, alongside left-arm quick Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green.

The hosts have already retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy but can seal a place in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia if they win the fourth Test.

India have made one change for the fourth Test with Mohammed Shami returning to replace Mohammed Siraj while Australia goes in unchanged at Ahmedabad.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the coin toss and elected to bat on Thursday, as the tourists seek a victory to level the four-game Test series at 2-2, having won the third Test in Indore by nine wickets. Both captains indicated they would have batted first if they won the toss.

India skipper Rohit Sharma added that the Ahmedabad pitch is "not a surface which we saw in the first three Tests" which were dominated by spin.  

Australia maintained their three-spinner approach, with Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, alongside left-arm quick Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green.

The hosts have already retained the Border Gavaskar Trophy but can seal a place in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia if they win the fourth Test.

India captain Rohit Sharma labelled Ravi Shastri's recent criticism as "absolute rubbish", insisting his team's ruthlessness should not be mistaken for overconfidence. 

Former India head coach Shastri felt India played with "complacency and overconfidence" when they lost by nine wickets to Australia in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. 

Having won the first two matches in convincing fashion, the setback means hosts and defending champions India now lead the 2023 series 2-1 with the fourth and final Test starting on Thursday in Ahmedabad.

Rohit said: "When you win two games, if the people outside are feeling that we are overconfident, it's absolute rubbish because you want to do your best in all four games.

"You don't want to stop by winning just two games, it is as simple as that. 

"When they talk about being overconfident and all that - especially the guys who are not part of the dressing room - they don't know what kind of talk happens in the dressing room.

"Ruthless is the word that comes to my mind, and it comes to every cricketer’s mind, being ruthless. Not to give any inch to the opposition.

"The opposition will never let you come into the game, never let you come into the series. And that is the mindset we have as well."

India opened the batting in the third Test, but lost seven wickets in the first session and were all out for a mere 109 runs as they failed to repeat the form that won them the past three Border-Gavaskar trophies. 

Shastri then said on commentary: "This is what a little complacency, a little bit of overconfidence can do when you take things for granted, you drop guard and this game will bring you down.

"I think it was a combination of all these things when you actually cast your mind back to the first innings, see some of the shots played, see some of the overeagerness to try to dominate in these conditions."

The victory confirmed Australia’s spot in the final of the World Test Championship and for India to do the same, they must win in Ahmedabad.

With full focus on the final Test match, Rohit believes Shastri's comments will not affect the squad and says India will continue to play with the same mindset.

"We want to do our best in all the games," said Sharma, who scored just 12 in each innings of the third Test defeat.

"If it seems overconfident or anything like that to the outsiders, it doesn't really matter to us.

"Ravi himself has been in this dressing room, and he knows what sort of mindset we have when we play. It's about being ruthless, not being overconfident."

India are hopeful Jasprit Bumrah will be fit in time for the Cricket World Cup after he underwent back surgery in New Zealand on Monday.

The fast bowler has struggled with fitness issues over the past year and has not played any cricket since September last year after a reported stress reaction.

Bumrah withdrew at the time from a home white-ball series with South Africa and saw a subsequent attempt to return to action hindered against Sri Lanka in January.

Now, having undergone a successful operation, he faces a prolonged recovery, with the BCCI hopeful he will be back to full fitness ahead of a home World Cup starting in October.

The 29-year-old is expected to remain in New Zealand until the end of March, with surgery ruling him out of participation in both the 2023 IPL season and a potential World Test Championship final.

From there, the BCCI hope for him to resume training and bowling by August, with a steady workload increase ahead of the 50-over tournament two months later.

Bumrah already missed India's campaign in last year's T20 World Cup, as they reached the semi-finals before suffering a dramatic 10-wicket loss to England.

His absence does not look to have been felt during their current red-ball series against Australia however, with the hosts leading 2-1 ahead of the fourth and final Test starting Thursday.

Captain Rohit Sharma has already warned against rushing him back prematurely, as India seek to win a first World Cup since 2011.

Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith remains in the dark over which pitch will be used in Ahmedabad in the fourth Test against India starting on Thursday.

Ahmedabad's massive Narendra Modi Stadium will host the finale of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, but two pitches were being prepared and under covers when Smith and the Australian team trained at the venue on Tuesday.

Smith conceded he left the venue less than 48 hours out from the first ball of the Test uncertain which pitch they would be playing on, having been given no clarity by the curator.

"The short answer is no," Smith replied when asked he knew which pitch was going to be used in the fourth Test. "There's two prepared."

Smith added that situation, given the short turnaround prior to the game, was something he had never encountered before in his career.

"[There] might have been a couple of [pitches] prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can't remember two days," he said.

It is the latest in a series full of controversies surrounding pitches used, with all three Tests completed within three days so far. The series is on track to finish with the fewest balls bowled in a four-match series in Test history.

India coach Rahul Dravid had more clarity on which pitch was going to be used, although he said both being under covers was unusual.

"I don't know why two strips are covered," Dravid said. "I never asked him why he covered the other one. But I don't know what that was. We're playing on this one, I have no idea about the other one."

Australia can secure a series draw with victory in Ahmedabad after an impressive nine-wicket win in Indore in the third Test.

The tourists have come in for constant criticism after falling 2-0 down in the series, with Smith responding that some of that had been "mind-boggling" particularly around their bowling selections.

Australia have deployed three spinners in their past two Tests in the series where fast bowlers have played a minor role and been far less fruitful. The five leading wicket-takers in the series are all spinners, with 78 of the 93 wickets taken by bowlers coming via spin.

"It's been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner," Smith said.

"It's kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces and we see what we've had, 11 innings in six days or something like that, and spinners have taken the bulk of the wickets and you see how difficult it is to play the spin.

"It's kind of odd to hear that kind of commentary, but we've had faith in what we're trying to do and it's good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win. We weren't too far away in Delhi either, outside of that hour of madness.

"Nice to know our plans and everything we are trying to do can work."