India's 40-4 (win-loss) home record in the last decade is awe-inducing but there is an ever-little crack, which is getting more pronounced in the past three years, particularly in the case of star batter Virat Kohli.
Skipper Rohit Sharma said it was Virat Kohli's decision to bat in that position.
Here's a glimpse of India's new faces and veterans sweating it out...
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
Strike rates are over-rated, said Kings XI Punjab captain K L Rahul, brushing aside criticism of his bottom-placed team which lost its fourth match on the trot, failing miserably in a chase of 202 against SunRisers Hyderabad, in Dubai, on Thursday.
Though Australia have dominated the rain-hit Test, time will most likely deny the hosts.
Hanuma Vihari, part of India's back to back series wins in Australia, reckons the services of veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara will be be dearly missed when the team aims for a hat-trick Down Under later this year.
The Indian team in Australia lacks a bowling attack that is good enough to take 20 wickets in a Test, Cheteshwar Pujara said
He steered the team away from trouble and kept grinding. His innings of 80 consisted of 6 fours and 2 maximums.
Gayle, who came into bat at No 3 hammered five fours in the sixth over to take his side to 49-1 at the end of the Powerplay.
Despite the challenging build-up, Gambhir said he is "extremely confident" of retaining the Border Gavaskar Trophy. The players will hope to be as confident as they prepare for the fight to keep their World Test Final chances alive.
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has called for an improved performance from India's batting unit in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, saying the lack of runs from the top-order builds pressure on the lower-order.
'We are wishing you come back to RCB. I'm a die-hard RCB fan and you playing past in the RCB... definitely the rumours I've heard. I won't say anything but I'm just wishing and praying that you come into RCB,' to which Rahul replied 'Let's hope.'
India fight back against Australia as 17 wickets tumble on opening day
Images from Day 1 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
LSG released KL Rahul before the team submitted its list of retained players by the October 31 deadline.
Lucknow Super Giants captain KL Rahul said Ayush Badoni is a strong 360-degree player and an asset for white-ball cricket in India.
RCB and LSG will be looking horns in a high-octane clash in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
India play 2 Tests versus Bangladesh, followed by three against New Zealand before the big-ticket five Test Border Gavaskar Trophy against Australia Down Under.
India did not respect the match situation, the playing conditions, and the bowlers, and they've paid a price for it.
Indian batters, with the exception of Yashasvi Jaiswal (84), faltered yet again to lose the match by 184 runs and trail 1-2 in the five-match series.
'We are pretty sorted in terms of how we are going to start in the first game (versus Pakistan).'
Ravi Shastri, who knows a thing or two about winning Test rubbers in Australia, on Thursday asked India skipper Rohit Sharma
Besides thanking the LSG fans for their support, he admitted that he also tries to help the team by imparting his knowledge of the sport as and when required.
Here is a look at likely retentions for some teams.
It's storm in a tea cup: Klusener downplays Goenka's public outburst on KL Rahul
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.
Punjab Kings' batting unit hasn't hit the straps, save for Rahul and Mayank Agarwal and the bowling has been pedestrian.
India has only minor concerns, but New Zealand's troubles across batting and bowling departments are more pronounced.
Both Pant, who played a key role in India's series victory last time, and Carey are known for their aggressive brand of cricket.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the stylish K L Rahul can excel on Australian tracks, just like he did in South Africa last year.
KL Rahul is looking forward to the upcoming Test series against England.
Chris Gayle had arrived in the UAE last week and he was then confined to his room for six days as he underwent quarantine as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.
Punjab Kings have decided to retain majority of their support staff with fast bowling coach James Hopes likely to be the sole addition for IPL 2025.
With Kohli and Rohit misfiring, the pressure has mounted on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and India's middle order to put the kind of scores on the board their bowlers can defend.
The national selectors on Sunday retained the Indian team, which hammered Bangladesh by 280 runs in the opening Test here, for the second and final match in Kanpur.
Anil Kumble lauded skipper Rohit Sharma for his leadership in the longest format of the game, pointing out how the 'Hitman' has managed the youngsters in the team and has been "proactive" with his resources.
'We think he is a deserving captain and we will see how he fits into the role.'
Former Australian batter and current Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) Justin Langer heaped praises on his franchise skipper and Indian middle-order batter KL Rahul, calling him a "beautiful, elegant-looking player".
With the series locked at 1-1, Brisbane could well decide the course of the rubber and whether Rohit's men would continue to be the master of their fate in the ongoing World Test Championship.
