Indian gold futures hit an all-time high on Monday, tracking gains in overseas markets and squeezing demand in the world's second-biggest consumer of the precious metal, dealers said.

Domestic gold futures rose to 69,487 Indian rupees ($834.07) per 10 grams, up nearly 10 percent so far in 2024.

India's gold imports are set to plunge by more than 90 percent in March from the previous month to hit their lowest since the COVID pandemic, a government official and two bank dealers told Reuters last week.

Rishabh Pant's middle-order experience can help him edge out Sanju Samson and become India's preferred wicketkeeper-batsman at the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States next month, former India batsman Gautam Gambhir said.

Pant was named in India's 15-member squad for the June 1-29 tournament on the back of impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after his comeback following a near-fatal car accident in December 2022.

However, India's selectors kept their options open with Samson also making the squad.

"I think only one of them will be in the starting side and whoever it is, India must back him ... both have equal quality," Gambhir, who played an important role in India's World Cup triumph in 2007, told Sportskeeda.

"It's touch and go but I'd start with Rishabh because he's a left-hander and a natural middle-order batsman. Sanju in the IPL has batted at number three, but India's top-order is fixed.

"Rishabh has batted at number five, six and seven. India need a wicketkeeper in that position as compared to a top-three batsman. A left-hander in the middle-order gives you that left hand-right hand combination."

Delhi Capitals skipper Pant scored 446 runs from 13 matches in the IPL this season, with a 23-ball 33 in his team's 19-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.

His Rajasthan Royals counterpart Samson has also done well with the bat with 486 runs from 12 games and can still add to his tally.

"If India see that Sanju can score more runs at number six or seven, they could go with him as well," Gambhir said.

Delhi's win means Rajasthan are assured of a top-four spot along with leaders Kolkata Knight Riders, leaving two playoff places up for grabs.

A fired-up Pat Cummins bagged five wickets and 10 in the match to earn Australia a nail-biting 79-run win in the second Test and clinch the series against a battling Pakistan Friday.

Set 317 for victory, the visitors put up a stellar fight as they chased their first Test triumph in Australia since 1995.

But they were dismissed for 237, with the last five wickets falling for 18 runs.

Australian skipper Cummins was the chief destroyer, taking 5-49 to go with his first innings 5-48 -- only the second 10-wicket haul of his Test career.

Mitchell Starc chipped in with 4-55 as the tail collapsed after Shan Masood (60), Agha Salman (50) and Babar Azam (41) gave them a fighting chance.

"Little bit twitchy, felt okay but they were batting pretty nicely," said Cummins.

"Anything with a three in front of it was the aim, so we got that," he added of the target they wanted to set Pakistan. "Felt like we had enough to bowl at but a little bit tight."

It was always going to be a tough task, with the highest-ever successful fourth innings run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground the 332-7 England managed in 1928, with no other team getting past 300.

Cummins's second 10-wicket match haul in 57 tests capped off a glorious year in which he led Australia to the World Test Championship, a 50-overs World Cup triumph and the retention of the Ashes in England. The Australia all-rounder termed 2023 as a crazy year.

"Crazy year. Lots of cricket, lots of success on the field," said Cummins. "I think we're going to look back and remember 2023 as one of the special ones."

India is set to begin the world's largest general elections on Friday, held in terrain sweeping from the icy Himalayas to humid jungles, with nearly a billion people eligible to choose 543 members of the lower house of parliament.

Opinion polls suggest an easy victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party when the results are announced on June 4.

But more than six weeks will elapse from the time the first vote is cast on April 19 until it is counted.

Here is why the exercise takes so long-

NUMBER OF DAYS

The election cycle sprawls over 44 days, long even by India's standards, as the 2019 vote lasted 39 days.

This year's elections will be India's second longest after the first exercise following independence in 1947 from colonial ruler Britain, which ran for four months from Oct 25, 1951 to Feb 21, 1952.

There are seven voting days this year, with Friday's first phase seeing people cast ballots for 102 constituencies nationwide. The last polling date is June 1, covering 57 seats.

All votes will be counted together on June 4.

VOTER NUMBERS

The size of the country and its electorate is the chief reason why the general election takes so long.

India's eligible voters, at 968.6 million, number more than twice the European Union's population of 448 million. The figure has grown 8% since the 2019 elections.

With an estimated population of more than 1.4 billion, India overtook China last year as the world's most populous country.

GEOGRAPHICAL SPREAD

Some of India's 28 states and eight federally governed territories complete voting in just one phase, but in larger states, some constituencies vote on different dates.

For example, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, with a population of more than 230 million and 80 members of parliament, more than any other state, will vote in parts in every phase.

The Election Commission manages this massive exercise by carving out smaller voting boroughs, limiting each polling station to no more than 1,500 registered voters.

That requires the watchdog to set up 1.048 million polling stations this year, in locations such as government buildings and schools that are the closest to the majority of voters.

They are sited in terrain ranging from icy Himalayan heights in the north to dense central Indian jungles and remote deserts in the western state of Rajasthan.

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

Incidents of violence and vote-rigging have marred India's election history, but there are drastically fewer instances today.

Nevertheless, to ensure the elections are free, fair and held without fear, more than 300,000 federal security personnel back up the police forces controlled by state governments.

The intervals between voting allows these personnel time to move around the country, usually by rail.

They guard election officials taking voting machines to polling stations and then keep the devices secure until counting day to maintain the integrity of the elections.

Pakistan have appointed former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten as head coach of their men's white-ball teams, while their test side will be guided by former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, the country's cricket board said on Sunday.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood will assist both head coaches, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said, adding all three had signed two-year deals.

"They're both very famous coaches and their arrival gives you 100% confirmation of the trust that they have in our team's potential," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters.

In Kirsten, Pakistan have appointed an experienced coach who led India to the 50-over World Cup title in 2011, before the 56-year-old took over as South Africa coach.

He has also had stints in the Indian Premier League and is currently working as a mentor at Gujarat Titans. He will take up his new post with Pakistan after the tournament ends.

Kirsten's first major assignment in the role will be the Twenty20 World Cup in the U.S. and West Indies in June.

Gillespie has coached domestic teams in India, England and Australia.

"The aim of bringing in these coaches is to make the best of the best available for our team," Naqvi added.

"Gary will join us on the England tour, and Gillespie will oversee the Bangladesh matches."