Australian quick Josh Hazlewood expressed that India's rare series whitewash at home to New Zealand could "awaken a sleeping giant" as they prepare to take on the ICC World Test Championship table-toppers in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from November 22 onwards.
The Indian batters' inability to grind it out against a relentless Australian pace attack in testing conditions left the team precariously placed at 51/4 at the end of a rain-marred day three.
The wicket-keeper-batter's comeback to cricket has been nothing sort of miraculous. He could barely walk around a year back but hours and hours of relentless rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy helped him make a remarkable comeback to cricket earlier this year in the IPL.
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
West Indies pace sensation Shamar Joseph, who single-handedly won a Test against Australia last month, was on Saturday roped in by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the upcoming IPL season as replacement for England's Mark Wood.
Nathan McSweeney is on the brink of a major debut, set to partner Usman Khawaja as Australia's opening batters in the series against India.
An astute reader of the game both on and off the field, Ashwin might have gauged what was in store going forward and that perhaps made it easier for him to take a call.
Out-of-form skipper Rohit Sharma's batting position will be in focus against a dangerous Australia
Here are some photographs from the nets session held on Sunday...
England paceman James Anderson raised concerns about potentially 'dangerous' short-pitched bowling at the tourists' tail-enders during the first Ashes Test, but his captain Joe Root said the lower order would just need to learn to 'deal with it'.
Key players, such as pacer Mitchell Starc, are hitting form at the right time, while star batter Steve Smith is facing early setbacks in his preparations.
Such was the pain from his injury that Shamar almost didn't turn up at the ground for day four.
Pant said the win against Australia in the fourth Test is one of the biggest moments of his life.
'Gautam Gambhir and Morne Morkel will need to provide Rohit with more inputs like whether to bowl bouncers or bowl round the wicket or whether we are allowing the game to drift.'
K L Rahul or Abhimanyu Easwaran will open the batting for India if captain Rohit Sharma is not available for the first Test against Australia in Perth, said head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Hazlewood said Australia rarely falters when it comes to doing the basics right.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
Shubman Gill's thumb fracture is certainly a "jolt" for India ahead of the series opener against Australia
The tourists were 11-0 off 6.1 overs when rain stopped play.
'What solution can Gambhir or Nayar possibly give, apart from telling him to not play those deliveries?'
New Zealand cricketers said they were victim of crowd abuse during the first Test against Australia at the Gabba, where they were called "faggots".
In case, Brisbane can't host the Test or Indians refuse to travel, Sydney will be the back up venue.
K L Rahul's indifferent form could throw Cheteshwar Pujara a lifeline for the tour of Australia, where he enjoys a great record.
'He has not played in Australia, or at least he has not played in Perth in a Test match on a wicket that bounces.'
Australia captain Steven Smith has no qualms about playing another day-night Test at Adelaide Oval but is wary of how the pink ball will perform in the humid conditions expected at Brisbane later this year.
'You have to respect if the ball's moving, you have to give it to the fast bowlers and just soak in that pressure and wait for your time to score runs.'
'I remember the 1992 India-Australia World Cup game in Brisbane, which India lost by one run, and I actually remember that I cried the entire night.'
Travis Head scored his second successive hundred while veteran Steve Smith wore the opposition down with a statement century to put Australia in control
England are relishing the prospect of ending Australia's 22-year unbeaten run at the Gabba in the first Ashes Test to make the best possible start to their campaign to retain the urn, captain Andrew Strauss said.
'That's one we need to tick off, definitely, in particular at home... we should pretty much win every series here at home.'
Reports of the impending demise of Mike Hussey's Test career proved a little premature on Friday when he hit 81 not out to keep Australia in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
The Ashes series will open to a packed house at the Gabba with less than 100 first-day tickets remaining on sale.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and Australia played at the Gabba on Wednesday
Starc currently stands as the fifth-highest wicket-taker for Australia in Test cricket, with 351 wickets to his credit.
Legends Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Matthew Hayden will return to the field to launch the 2009-10 season in an All Star Twenty20 match at the Gabba in Brisbane, Cricket Australia and the Australia Cricketers' Association announced on Wednesday.
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.
Ashwin retains No 1 spot, Bumrah moves to 4th in ICC rankings
If one has to analyse Ashwin the cricketer, it is very difficult to ignore Ashwin, the person, who had a very independent mind and a brain that probably ticked 24x7. He believed in de-construction of his art and became craftier one ball at a time.
Ricky Ponting feels that left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed could be a valuable addition in the Indian squad
