As Steve Smith and David Warner padded up at suburban Sydney cricket grounds over the weekend, the warm spring sunshine may have seemed fitting weather for the banned Australian cricketers to take a small but important step in their rehabilitation.
Paine admitted that there will be an element of uncertainty associated with the Brisbane Test if India, a powerful cricket board, wants to press the pressure button.
Rahane repeated his answers in a loop which was all about 'playing to your strengths and backing each other'.
The ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2009, Gambhir went on to thank his family, friends and current Australia coach and former opener Justin Langer for helping him with his batting in 2015.
With the Sydney Cricket Ground reliably Australia's most spin-friendly wicket, the hosts may find it tough going to manufacture a face-saving victory and square the series.
Former Australia opening batsman Matthew Hayden said he has "dodged a bullet" after suffering a fractured bone in his neck and serious facial injuries while surfing at the weekend.
Following is a fact file on the first Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide and how the teams have performed at the Adelaide Oval over the years:
Captain Ricky Ponting believes Shane Watson could replace retired opening batsman Justin Langer in Australia's Test side.
'I'm in the team to take wickets and I've had two wicketless games, so we'll see how we go.'
Officials said they were projecting a crowd in excess of 78,000 on the opening day of the traditional Boxing Day fixture, the largest attendance at the ground for a non-Ashes Test.
Ponting compared the spell with the one England's Steve Harmison bowled during the famous 2005 Ashes series, in which he hit Australian openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer before leaving the former skipper with a bloodied cheek.
Kuldeep Yadav, among all the players in this team, has more experience of playing with pink ball and the kind of revolution he produces, he could make it difficult for batsmen to spot the black seam of the pink kookaburra under lights.
'Not taking away any credit from India, but when they won in Australia, there is no doubt that Australian cricket was going through a turmoil and there were problems in their dressing room'.
Following is a fact box on the final Test of the four-match series between Australia and India
The ICC confirmed the rating on Tuesday, a marked improvement from the three demerit points that they earned after last year's drawn Ashes Test.
Australia beat England by 10 wickets to win the fifth Test and complete their first Ashes series whitewash in 86 years.
Australia captain Tim Paine said he is 'relishing going head-to-head' with his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli in the ongoing Test series.
Assistant coach Ricky Ponting, 10 rooms down the hotel corridor, has heard him shadow practising in England and coach Justin Langer said Smith hones his cover drives in shower.
England picked up the crucial wicket of Langer to reduce Australia to 28 for one after posting a daunting total of 551-6.
'England against Australia at Lord's, it doesn't get much bigger than that.'
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were left out of the Australia squad for next month's limited overs tour of India while Labuschagne comes into the squad on the back of some fine form in Test cricket.
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting warned Monty Panesar of a fierce assault by Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer in the upcoming Ashes series
Earl Eddings was named the new permanent chairman of Cricket Australia (CA) by the board, on Wednesday, four weeks after taking up the post on a temporary basis when David Peever was forced to resign.
The out-of-form middle-order batsman was omitted after regular opener Justin Langer was cleared to return from injury.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Sunday
Images from the first Twenty20 International between India and Australia, in Canberra, on Friday.
Having been in the team's leadership group last year before he was dumped and lost his central contract, Marsh acknowledged his see-sawing form had made it difficult for home fans to warm to him.
The 24-year-old though said he would not adopt a conservative approach to batting
Who do you think will win the final Ashes Test at The Oval?
Recently retired Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson won't play in the Big Bash League this season after opting to spend time with his family.
David Warner will be driven to prove his worth to Australia when he returns to the side
Eoin Morgan expects Australia to be 'galvanised' when they face his team next month in their first series after the ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
CA said the difference between the old ball and the new one was an updated lining of the leather designed to increase the resilience of the seam.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
Mental health issues of sports-persons is now a serious topic and recently Australia coach Justin Langer advocated the need to keep a tab on the younger lot as to how they are coping up with trying times.
A late bloomer, Tye has gone on to become an integral part of Australia's T20 set-up after making his international debut in January, 2016, at the age of 29.
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