Nature of the pitch for the first Test revealed, CSK all-rounder set to return from injury and more - Cricket News Today, 2nd December 2018

Bangladesh rolled over West Indies in the second Test match at the Sher-E-Bangla stadium in Mirpur as they beat the visitors by an innings and 184 runs. After getting dismissed for just 111 in the first innings, Shimron Hetmyer put on show in the second innings as he scored a 92-ball 93 with one four and nine sixes before he was caught in the deep eight runs short of his century. But, his knock wasn't enough to save his team from an innings defeat as they were bundled out for 213, handing the hosts their first-ever innings victory in Tests.

Apart from this, the Indian team landed in Adelaide ahead of the first Test and Reeza Hendricks scored his second consecutive century in the ongoing Mzansi T20 league.

Let us take a look at other things that happened in the world of cricket over the last 24 hours.

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#4 Adelaide Oval pitch to have grass for the first Test

With just a few days left for the first Test between India and Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, it looks like a green top will be welcoming Virat Kohli and co. in the first of the four matches.

Adelaide Oval curator Damien Hough has promised to leave some grass on the pitch for the series opener. “We won’t do anything differently. The preparation will be the same. The only difference is we get the covers off earlier and we start earlier. We do the same preparation for red-ball cricket and pink-ball cricket at Shield level. The best way to get an even contest is to leave some grass on there and get that balance between bat and ball. Right now, we really feel that this is where it’s at for the pitch," Hough told The Weekend Australian.

If this is the case, the fast bowlers in both the teams will be licking their lips to bowl in the first Test.

#3 I don’t really find the need to prove anything to anyone, says Virat Kohli

He is ready to roar in the Test series

Ahead of the four-match Test series between India and Australia that gets underway in Adelaide on December 6, all eyes are on Virat Kohli as the world's best batsman will be out to lead his team to their first-ever Test series win down under.

However, Kohli believes that he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone and he wants to give his hundred percent on the field. “You learn from every series, every tour, every game that you play.

I think from last time around, I’ve become more assured of myself, I don’t really find the need to prove anything to anyone.

It’s all about doing what the team wants me to do and just giving my 100% on the field, it’s a gradual process, I don’t really feel anything different when I go to tour countries now, it’s more a process now," Kohli told Sydney-based Macquarie Sports Radio.

When the Test series gets underway, the Aussie players and the media will try to get under the skin of the Indian skipper and put him under pressure. This situation is not new for Kohli and he will look to silence them in the only way he knows, with the bat.

#2 VVS Laxman slams Greg Chappell

VVS Laxman is the latest one to sam Greg Chappell

Indian cricketers and their love for Greg Chappell is a never-ending story as one after the other keep criticizing the former coach for his actions when he was given in charge of Team India.

VVS Laxman, in his autobiography '281 and Beyond', has revealed that the team was divided into two or three groups when the Aussie was the coach and there was some serious trust deficit among them.

“The coach had his favourites, who were well looked after, while the others were left to fend for themselves. The team had disintegrated before our eyes. Greg’s entire stint had been cause for bitterness. He was rigid and inflexible in his approach, and didn’t know how to run an international team. He often seemed to forget that it was the players who played the game and were stars, not the coach. Greg Chappell arrived in India to a groundswell of goodwill and support. He left the team in tatters, having played an influential part in the worst phase of my playing career. Results on the field might suggest that his methods worked to some extent, but those results had nothing to do with our coach," Laxman wrote in his book.

#1 Mitchell Santner set to return after eight months

Mitchell Santner is back!

Chennai Super Kings' New Zealand all-rounder is set to return to action after recovering from the knee injury he suffered earlier this year.

After undergoing a surgery that kept him out of the 2018 IPL and the international series featuring New Zealand since February, Santner has been declared fit and is likely to make it to the squad for the upcoming series.

As per reports in stuff.co.nz, he was supposed to play his first match since getting injury-ridden on Saturday, but the match was washed out due to rain.

Santner, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 IPL auction, has been retained by the franchise ahead of the 2019 auction in spite of recovering from the knee injury. His recovery will be a welcome news for the Blackcaps and the Yellow Army.