I was really surprised when he wasn't flown out even halfway through the series, two Test matches in.'
At Stumps on Day 3, the visitors are struggling at 51/4 with right-hand batter KL Rahul (33*) and team skipper Rohit Sharma (0*) unbeaten at the crease.
It was a frustrating day for the loyal crowd of 16,180 but perhaps more so for the home team, whose chances of forcing a result were progressively eroded.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting advised struggling batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to trust their game akin to star India batter Virat Kohli.
Will Rohit Sharma get one final opportunity to salvage his Test career?
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
India will look for the right balance as they aim for a series-levelling victory against a spunky New Zealand in the must-win second Test.
Can the young trio of Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep leave a mark in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series?
Indian speedster Mohammed Siraj is celebrating his 30th birthday and marking the special day, the right-arm seamer took fans on a tour of his hometown.
Mohammed Shami will make his long-awaited comeback to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against Australia in Adelaide?
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
Pujara could get the selectors' nod if Ajit Agarkar and his team decide to fall back on his experience.
Mohammed Siraj took to Instagram and posted a story with a series of broken heart emojis. But what does his post mean?
As the final ball was bowled, emotions ran high at the Kensington Oval. Rohit Sharma was overcome with joy, collapsing to the ground and tapping the outfield as tears welled up in his eyes.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Friday.
Virat Kohli booed by home fans after bumping shoulders with Konstas on the pitch after the 19-year-old smashed India's bowlers around the park early on.
Though Australia have dominated the rain-hit Test, time will most likely deny the hosts.
The Australian media summed up their team's 295-run hammering by India in the opening Test with strong headlines such as 'Perth-etic Humiliation' and 'Monster Loss', former players called for some tough decisions, including sacking Marnus Labuschagne.
Gautam Gambhir has already been asked a few tough questions after the 0-3 defeat at home to New Zealand and if the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is also lost, it can all go downhill for the former opener.
'I think we are going to see him at Punjab Kings'
He bowed down to Bumrah, acknowledging his India team-mate's exceptional bowling and Player of the Match performance.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
Dhruv Jurel has made a compelling case for inclusion in India's playing XI for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy
India has only minor concerns, but New Zealand's troubles across batting and bowling departments are more pronounced.
'It is never BCCI's call whether to travel to Pakistan but Indian government's. Nothing changes on that front.'
The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Australia opener Nathan McSweeney is gearing up for a challenging debut against India's premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was on Saturday expectedly picked in the India squad for the Champions Trophy and pacer Mohammed Shami returned to national fold
'If Rohit wants to open, KL should bat at No. 3. Nothing later than that.'
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel feels there is "no harm" in trying Yash Dayal in place of either Jasprit Bumrah or Mohammed Siraj for the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur, beginning on Friday.
Pat Cummins defends team behaviour, terms Travis Head 'a big boy' who can speak for himself
In response, the visitors were 51/4 on a rain-hit third day with questions being raised about batters' technique and the quality of bowling, save for Bumrah.
Avesh Khan, who was released to play Ranji Trophy during first Test, has rejoined the squad.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj received a rockstar welcome upon landing in Hyderabad after the team's thrilling T20 World Cup victory. The city overflowed with pride as fans thronged the airport to greet their champion.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand?
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels Royal Challengers Bengaluru struggling speedster Mohammed Siraj should be rested so that he can regain his form.
'He is a man who has shown a lot of awareness and his skillset has been amazing that too being a fast bowler. We often talk about making a difference in the field not in just one match which he brought throughout the ODI World Cup and still it's going on.'
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald believes the absence of Mohammed Shami during the marquee Border Gavaskar Trophy next month is a huge loss for India.
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