Virat Kohli's Indian team will be aiming for another comprehensive show against a depleted Australia when the two sides square-off in the opening encounter of the five-match series, in Chennai, on Saturday.
The Lions from South Africa will look ride on the performance of their captain Alviro Petersen to guide them to a better finish.
Australia have been in good form in the five-day format and having won a one-day tournament in India last year will be confident and will be looking to do an encore as they face India in the first of the three-match ODI tournament in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Australia have dropped Test skipper Tim Paine from their one-day squad for next month's series against South Africa and named opening batsman Aaron Finch as captain in his place.
An Australia team that stared down the hardened bureaucrats and faceless money men of the nation's cricket board to strike a huge win in pay negotiations showed precious little unity when put under pressure by Bangladesh, the ninth-ranked Test team.
Batsmen from Papua New Guinea, Oman and UAE leap to find place in top-50
David Warner made 88 not out and featured in two significant partnerships to lead Australia's robust reply to Bangladesh's first-innings total of 305 in the second and final Test on Tuesday.
Bangladesh spun their way to a first Test victory over Australia on Wednesday, with Shakib Al Hasan's second five-wicket haul of the match securing a memorable 20-run win inside four days at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.
Australia bowled out Bangladesh for 260 and then suffered a spectacular top-order collapse of their own to leave them reeling at 18 for three after the spin-dominated opening day of the first Test on Sunday.
A disciplined Chennai Super Kings produced an all-round effort to defeat Perth Scorchers by 13 runs in Bangalore and brighten their hopes of earning a semi-final berth in the Champions League Twenty20.
Ian Bell and Stuart Broad shared an unbroken century partnership to lift England to 326 for six on a compelling third day of the first Ashes Test against Australia on Friday.
Australian spinner Steve O'Keefe believes it would be a daunting task to tame Virat Kohli and his men in the upcoming Test series in India but insisted that they are not infallible and might find the going difficult on turning wickets.
'I think they're feeling the pressure a little bit to be honest'
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was called up for Australia's two remaining Tests in India on the strength of his bowling and previous performances in the region, interim chief selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.
Team India possess a much more balanced squad in the shortest format.
India's vacant cupboard of all-rounders will give Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri numerous points to ponder.
England pair Joe Root and James Anderson broke the all-time Test record for a 10th-wicket partnership on Saturday but the first Test against India at Trent Bridge looks like ending in a draw.
Australian cricket, in contrast, has been dogged by structural reform in the wake of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa in March and it has resulted in turbulence on the field as well.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon fought hard to cement his place in the Test team and now hopes to convince selectors of his white ball prowess in time for the World Twenty20 in India.
Australia meet South Africa in a one-off T20 match on the Gold Coast on November 17, before three T20s against India starting in Brisbane on November 21.
Gilchrist said home conditions would make Australia hard to beat when the World Cup starts next October.
Unbeaten half-centuries from Manish Pandey (95) and Ambati Rayudu (62) helped India 'B' and India 'A' register victories against South Africa 'A' and Australia 'A' respectively in separate quadrangular one-day series matches in Bengaluru.
After taking a first innings lead of 233 on Friday before conceding three quick wickets, England batted throughout the day to reach 333 for five at the close with Joe Root unbeaten on 178, his second Test hundred.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list the Most Valuable Players during the India-Australia ODI series.
Australia have included uncapped George Bailey in their 12-man squad for the first Ashes encounter against England next week in a gamble the 31-year-old can replicate his "extraordinary" limited overs form in the Test arena.
Gurkeerat Singh turned in a superb all-round showing as India 'A' beat fancied Australia 'A' by four wickets in the final of the 'A' teams triangular series in Chennai on Friday.
Australia skipper Steve Smith has described Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the best death bowlers around. His assessment came after Australia suffered a five-wicket defeat to India in the third One-Day International between the teams in Indore on Sunday.
Left chasing shadows in the first two games, a listless Indian team would most certainly tweak its bowling combination in order to avoid a second successive clean-sweep when it takes on Australia in the third and final ODI, in Canberra, on Wednesday.
With the batting firepower in Australia's ranks, they cannot be ruled out as contenders to grasp it at the sixth attempt.
Rohit Sharma will certainly leave a gaping hole at the top of the order, something that skipper Virat Kohli wouldn't have fancied at the onset of a gruelling two-month tour.
After registering a win against Dolphins in the last encounter, Pakistan champions Lahore Lions will go a for the kill to qualify for the semi-final when they lock horns against a formidable Perth Scorchers in the Oppo Champions League T20 in Bangalore.
'We need to stick to plan and back our skills to tackle India' 'You've got to be adaptable and you've got to be able to change your game almost mid-innings'
Having flattered to deceive on most occasions after his transition from Under-19 to senior cricket, Delhi boy Unmukt Chand would like to make amends as he leads India 'A' in the tri-nation 'A' series, considered a launch pad to the senior team.
India 'A' off-spinner Baba Aparajith struck late to claim five wickets, but it was opener Cameron Bancroft's strokeful 150 that powered Australia 'A' to a crucial first innings lead on Day 2 of the second four-day unofficial cricket 'Test' in Chennai on Thursday.
Riding on skipper Rohit Sharma's blistering half-century, Mumbai Indians cruised into the Champions League Twenty20 semifinals with a crushing six-wicket victory over Perth Scorchers in their must-win final group match in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Joe Burns is determined to avoid membership of the burgeoning club of Australian batsmen who have made brief cameos.
Scroll down to see the list of other awardees and cricketers who glamed up the night in their sartorial best.
He has made rapid strides in limited overs cricket over the past couple of months but for Kuldeep Yadav, the ultimate challenge is to bowl long spells consistently in the Test format.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, day said head coach Ravi Shastri was the brain behind promoting all-rounder Hardik Pandya up the order, which eventually paid rich dividends for the home side in the series-clinching five-wicket win over Australia in the third One-day International in Indore.
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