After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
This was the third time India were involved in a two-day Test.
Letting Indian batsmen build mammoth partnerships has hurt Australia the most in the series, visiting paceman Peter Siddle lamented.
The Indian team management's dilemma over Virender Sehwag's opening partner was evident during the training session as both Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan were seen spending considerable time at the nets ahead of the first Test match against Australia on Friday.
India might be left with a mountain of runs to climb in the first Test in Adelaide but fielding coach R Sridhar was confident that the batsmen will make up for the bowlers' poor show.
Will triple centurion Karun Nair be picked to counter the Afghan spinners?
India may have slipped to fourth in the Test rankings following the drawn Test in Fatullah, but its openers, Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, achieved career-best rankings for batsmen.
Images from the India v SA, second Test, day 1, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes India can win the Adelaide Test if they remain in a positive frame of mind despite another good batting show by Australia on the fourth day of the match.
India have the perfect opportunity to find a solution to their top-order batting woes before their year-end series in Australia when the world's top-ranked side host two Tests against lowly West Indies, starting on Thursday.
Please help Messrs Kohli and Shastri pick India's side for the Edgbaston Test.
Should India go in with six batsmen and three fast bowlers?
"During the county stint, I got to spend time with English players Stuart Broad and Samit Patel (who both play for Nottinghamshire) and former England coach Peter Moores.
He will have to fight it out with the in-form KL Rahul and a solid Murali Vijay for one of the opening slots in the playing XI of the Test team but Shikhar Dhawan terms the competition "good for Indian cricket" and finds "nothing wrong with it". "I am aware that there could be three players for two (opening) spots. But there is nothing wrong in it. In fact it is good for Indian cricket. To have healthy competitions among players for places in the team is good for Indian cricket and the game in general.
Should Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan be dropped?
Virat Kohli achieved another personal milestone by becoming the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011, to top the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for Test Batsmen.
India have endured series losses in South Africa and England over the last nine months but have still managed to remain the number one side in the longest format.
Backing the team's decision to pick five bowlers on what appears a good batting track, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said the bowling department will certainly use the experience of playing in Australia on the placid wicket in the ongoing one-off Test against Bangladesh in Fatullah.
The third specialist spinner's slot will be the subject of much deliberation when the national selection committee, headed by Sandeep Patil, meets in New Delhi, on Thursday, to announce the squad for the three-Test away series against Sri Lanka, starting August 12.
'I was not thinking about it as my first game, I was just thinking that it's another game and it just happened.'
'We have a change at the top of the order and we will give these guys enough space and enough chances to feel comfortable at that position'
He might have scored a century as opener in the last Test that India played but Cheteshwar Pujara on Thursday said he was willing to bat at any position he is asked to by the team's think-tank in the opening game against South Africa starting November 5 in Mohali.
India opener Lokesh Rahul says the Test series against South Africa beginning next month will be the "biggest challenge" of his burgeoning career.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers from the first Test.
'On one hand, three in-form openers is a healthy problem of plenty.' 'On the other, you just don't know whom to pick, and whether the selection sits well with the conditions and opposition on offer,' says Chetan Narula.
Karnataka's in-form young opener K L Rahul has staked a strong claim for his inclusion in India's Test squad to Australia.
Spoilt for choice with a pool of top quality performers in their ranks, formidable India are overwhelming favourites against minnows Bangladesh in a proverbial 'David vs Goliath' one-off cricket Test that starts in Hyderabad on Thursday.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com explains why skipper Virat Kohli is backing his opening batsman to carry on the good form in the next two Tests of the series.
India's Team Director Ravi Shastri on Friday said that South Africa are still a formidable side despite the retirement of some big players recently but his side will continue their aggressive brand of cricket in the upcoming series beginning on October 2.
India goes into the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday hoping to register their first series victory in the island nation in 22 years.
A confident India, with a new coach at the helm, will seek to record a third consecutive Test series triumph on the Caribbean soil when the Virat Kohli-led side clashes with an inexperienced West Indies in the first cricket match, in Antigua, on Thursday.
India's batsmen came good on a flat track to put up 369 for 5 on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday. Wriddhimaan Saha (1) and Rohit Sharma (33) were at the crease at the draw of stumps. Images from the day's play.
Harish Kotian/Rediff.com assesses the Indian side after the 2-1 series triumph in Sri Lanka.
During his tenure as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has gone from being extremely cautious to trying something fancy, hoping to catch the opponent by surprise. However, mostly, he's ended up with egg on the face, especially overseas.
