The India wicketkeeper trails third-placed Michael Hussey of Australia by 10 points in the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen.
Both teams are considering adding extra pacemen to their bowling stocks in anticipation of a speed war in the first Test at Perth.
Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath made it to Cricinfo's all-time Australian XI but Ricky Ponting was deemed good enough only for the 12th man's slot.
Michael Clarke's prospects of succeeding Ricky Ponting as Australia's next skipper were lifted when he was named as vice-captain.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who silenced his critics by scoring a sparkling 134 against India, on Wednesday said he hung in there because he had "hunger" to do well at the international level despite being under enormous pressure.
Check out the mood swings in the dugouts during the IPL 2023 game between the Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi, April 4, 2023.
Pacer Mitchell Johnson returns to the Australian team after a fortnight's rest for the third one-dayer against South Africa at the SCG on Friday. Johnson, who was rested after the 1-2 Test series loss against the Proteas, replaces Ben Hilfenhaus in the 12-man squad for the third match of the five-game series, which is locked 1-1.
A magnificent spell of fast bowling by Dale Steyn saw South Africa inch closer to a historic Test series victory in Australia after the fourth day of the second Test at the MCG in Melbourne on Monday. Set a mediocre 183 to win the match and the three-Test series, South Africa raced to 30 for no loss in six overs.
With the Ashes Tests already consigned to history, Australia's cricketers have switched their attention back to one-day cricket and the defence of their World Cup title in the West Indies.
West Indies brought back fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards in place of Marlon Samuels and Corey Collymore.
Yuvraj Singh, who was out of the first match with an illness, returns to the Indian side in place of Mohammad Kaif.
The Australian captain is looking to make up for the Ashes loss in the Test and one-dayers against an ICC World XI.
Australia's top players have swapped traditional white cricket clothing for Army greens as they step up their preparations for the Ashes series.
Ponting said at the end of the day it comes down to individual preparation.
Left-handed batsman Jimmy Maher, who also keeps wicket, is likely to play his first game of the tournament on Sunday.
The recent ODI tour of the Windies have cost the players their top slots.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni replaced Australia captain Ricky Ponting as the top ODI batsman in the ICC rankings
Australia will be keen to avoid another close tussle against bottom-rung Bangladesh when the second Test begins on Sunday.
Agarkar joining Delhi Capitals also ends speculation that he may join the Indian team as a bowling consultant.
Australia were fined for a slow over-rate during their 18-run victory over India in the tri-series one-day international in Sydney.
It was a surreal feeling for Nehal Wadhera when he found out that Virat Kohli knew him by his first name.
Openers Mike Hussey and Matthew Hayden hit centuries as Australia, replying to the West Indies' first innings of 149, amassed 256 for 1 by close of day 2 in the second Test.
While one could argue that umpires are human and prone to error, does it mean we continue to turn a blind eye to their mistakes?
Australian opening batsman David Warner has denied that he has a drinking problem, although he admitted that he was under the influence of alcohol and had acted aggressively when he punched England batsman Joe Root in the face in a Birmingham nightclub.
Glenn McGrath returned to their side after being rested for the second match.\n
Ricky Ponting and John Wright inspect the wicket at the Melbourne Telstra Dome.
'Success or non-success, you can always improve things,' said the Australian coach
The country's mainstream media have suddenly given up on the ageing team, saying they no have hope of retaining the Ashes.
India brought back S Sreesanth for left-armer Rudra Pratap Singh, while Australia included Brad Haddin for Matthew Hayden in the sixth ODI in Nagpur.
Rohit Sharma has won four out of five matches since he replaced Ricky Ponting as the skipper of the Mumbai Indians side and the stylish batsman feels that leading the side is helping him evolve as a batsman too.
Jacques Kallis became the first South African batsman to top the PricewaterCooper list in their latest ratings of Test cricketers.
Under Kohli's captaincy, India became the first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia, besides recording some memorable wins elsewhere.
Australia's cricketers have returned home from their triumphant tour of India with an unexpected problem over the make-up of their team.
Meanwhile, Delhi head coach Ricky Ponting echoed Ganguly's thoughts and sent DC spinner Kuldeep Yadav a strong message, asking him to "never say sorry to him."
