Australia coach Andrew McDonald came to the defence of the Melbourne Cricket Ground's under-fire curator Monday and warned against authorities meddling in pitch preparation.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon is determined to fight his way back into the Australian team after undergoing surgery for a torn hamstring, coach Andrew McDonald said.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald remains optimistic about Cooper Connolly's Test future despite a subdued debut, insisting the young batting all-rounder has plenty of time to cement his place in the team's top six

Ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, Australian coach Andrew McDonald backed number three batter Marnus Labuschagne to come good

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald accused India of intimidating 19-year-old opener Sam Konstas with the way visitors surrounded him at the end of Day 1 of the fifth Test.

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has scored only 73 runs and bowled just 33 overs across four Tests against India.

Travis Head is the leading run-getter in the series with 409 runs in five innings at an average of 81.80, two centuries and a fifty.

Australia failed to take a single wicket in the final two sessions of Day 2, as Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul stitched a 172-run unbeaten partnership.

Cricket Australia on Wednesday extended the tenure of men's team head coach Andrew McDonald till the end of the 2027 season

India have won each of their last two Test tours of Australia, including a 2-1 win with a second-string squad during their last visit.