Michael Clarke's touring side will attempt to win the urn on English soil for the first time in 14 years and Alastair Cook's hosts will try to win back the trophy following their crushing 5-0 defeat in the last series Down Under.
Australia chiselled out four key England wickets to take control of the fifth and final Ashes Test on an absorbing third day at the Oval on Friday.
Ryan Harris sent shudders through the home dressing room by grabbing three early wickets but Bell weathered the storm with a majestic unbeaten 105 that led England to 234 for five in their second innings at the close, an overall lead of 202 runs.
Kevin Pietersen defiantly struck a mature century but England were staring down the barrel at 294 for seven at stumps on the third day of the third Ashes Test on Saturday, still 233 adrift on first innings.
Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar paid tribute to retiring Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson on Tuesday, describing him as a special bowler.
A fit-again Irfan Pathan feels that he is close to bowling at his best and it's just a matter of time before he is again back in contention for the seam bowling all-rounder's slot in the Indian cricket team that has been up for grabs for some time.
Back-to-back half-centuries against Sri Lanka were just the confidence-booster Wriddhiman Saha needed as he slowly recovers from a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing in the third Test of the just concluded series.
The SCG may be perfect for the under-performing trio -- Pujara, Dhawan and Ashwin -- to regain their touch.
The Australian mind games targeting India's new Test captain Virat Kohli continued with opener David Warner saying that it would be interesting to see how "fiery" the batsman would be when he leads the side out in the fourth and final Test starting in Sydney on Tuesday.
The perennial fitness battles of Shane Watson are likely to rule the all-rounder out of Australia's second Test against South Africa.
In the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Australia's Ryan Harris has moved up two places to second following his six wickets against India in the fourth Test at MCG.
Mitchell Johnson electrified a world record Test crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a searing new ball spell to capture two late wickets and leave England a rocky 226 for six at the close of the opening day of the fourth Test on Thursday.
A dominant Australia were five wickets away from reclaiming the Ashes after hammering England with the bat and reducing them to 251 for five with the ball at the end of the fourth day of the third test at the WACA on Monday.
A fired-up Mitchell Johnson dismissed England captain Alastair Cook cheaply in a hammer blow for the tourists after Australia declared for a mammoth first innings of 570 to be firmly in control after day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday.
Gearing up for the pace test that awaits India in Australia come December, batsman Rohit Sharma said the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle would be a tough challenge to deal with but the Indians are no longer intimidated by bouncy tracks Down Under.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has declared himself fit to play England in the second Ashes test in Adelaide after suffering an injury scare when he rolled his ankle on Monday.
Ian Bell joined an elite trio on Thursday with his third Ashes century in successive Tests after England had lost three cheap wickets on the opening day of the second Test against Australia at Lord's.
Shakya Mitra ponders why top batsmen like Michael Clarke bowing out early.
Relishing the challenge of squaring off against new Indian captain Virat Kohli in the fourth and final cricket Test in Sydney, Australian skipper Steve Smith described his rival number as an "emotional character".
Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody said the India opener first needs to be sure of his off-stump in order to convert his starts into big scores in Test cricket.
Unfazed by an aggressive Virat Kohli, Australian opener David Warner said the Indian is free to play the way he wishes and the ICC is there to manage if anybody crosses the line.
The speculation around the mood inside India's dressing room became a subject of ridicule for Australian skipper Steve Smith, who said the home team does not need to sedge the tourists as they are busy "whingeing among themselves".
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon said officials have done a good job.
India restored some pride with a consolation 77-run win over Bangladesh in third and final ODI to prevent the spirited hosts from securing a 3-0 series whitewash.
A resurgent England attack tore through Australia's batting lineup with six wickets in the final session to leave the hosts reeling at 164 for nine at the close of the second day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday.
Despite the weeks of debate about the make-up of the Australia team for next week's first Ashes Test, captain Michael Clarke is of the opinion that 11 of the 12 players are "no-brainer" selections.
Virat Kohli's tally is the highest by a visiting No. 4 player in a Test series in Australia, surpassing the 480 in seven innings by Sachin Tendulkar in 2007-08.
Aggressive off-spin bowling from Graeme Swann and indifferent Australian batting allowed England to seize control of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Friday.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon claimed seven wickets (7-152) to help the Aussies win the first Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
India captain Virat Kohli and opener Lokesh Rahul led India to safer shores, scoring centuries as Australia dropped catches -- Joe Burns and captain Steven Smith the culprits -- on Day 3 of the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday. Check out some images from the day's play.
Australia has built an artificial pitch at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane to help its batsmen deal with spin-bowling on the slow tracks of the subcontinent, where they have so often struggled in the past.
Australia moved within 201 runs of victory in the fourth Ashes Test with all 10 wickets in hand after routing England's second innings for 179 to wrest back the momentum on a roller-coaster fourth day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
From winning the Under-19 World Cup to becoming Test captain, Virat Kohli has made rapid strides in international cricket. Pradeep Sangwan, his team mate from junior cricket, writes about the man they fondly call 'Cheeku'
Australia coach Darren Lehmann on Wednesday said the home side is liking the charged up atmosphere created by the newly-appointed Indian captain.
Virat Kohli became only the third Indian to score a hundred on his captaincy debut as the visitors responded resolutely to Australia's mammoth first innings total by reaching 369 for five on the third day to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Nathan Lyon grabbed four wickets and Jackson Bird claimed his first victim of the series as Australia restricted England to 238 for nine at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday.
The Indian bowling unit not only gave away too many runs in the four-match Test against Australia but also failed to get 20 Australian wickets in any of the games.
While there were brilliant performances from Virat Kohli, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, India's pathetic bowling attack -- which could not claim 20 Australian wickets in any of the four Tests -- was depressing.
India registered just three victories in 11 Tests, worse than even Zimbabwe and the West Indies...
Indian cricket's fortunes ebbed and flowed in 2015 with Virat Kohli successfully leading the national side in Tests and Mahendra Singh Dhoni appearing to be losing his midas touch, while in off the field drama Shashank Manohar returned as the president of Board of Control for Cricket in India.
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