Head coach Ricky Ponting and the team management have reached an agreement that the Aussie star is the best man to lead the side on an interim basis as Pant gradually recovers after surviving a horrific car crash in December.
While Australia currently trail India 2-1 and have failed to regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy they so dearly crave, they showed plenty of spirit winning their first Test match on Indian soil since 2017 when they registered a comprehensive nine-wicket triumph over their rivals in Indore.
Kohli has managed just 111 runs from five innings during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar against Australia and will once again come up against the same opposition should India clinch the final spot in the World Test Championship decider with a victory in the fourth Test in Ahmedabad this week.
His Test form has been a growing concern since 2022. In 14 matches, Warner has scored just 607 runs at 26.39 which includes a double-century in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa.
During England's Test against New Zealand in Wellington, the group shared a video of their trumpet player playing 'Maria' from West Side Story as a tribute to Cummins' mother Maria.
Ponting was full of praise for Babar when he spoke in a recent episode of The ICC Review, saying the Pakistan skipper was capable of breaking even more records during the remainder of his career
Star India batter Virat Kohli completed 25,000 runs in international cricket on Sunday, becoming only the sixth batter to touch the landmark and the fastest player to do so.
Peter Handscomb was given the opportunity to play in his first Test match since 2019 thanks to Head's omission, and the right-hander looked strong upon his comeback with a valiant 31 batting at number six.
From the epic face-off between Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne to Harbhajan Singh's web over Ricky Ponting, Tests between India and Australia have witnessed several legendary rivalries