Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli thwarted Australia in a diligent partnership to push India to a position of strength and a 166-run lead at the close of day three of the first Test on Saturday.
India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday said he no longer considers Australian cricketers his friends after being targetted both on and off the field by them in a fiercely-fought Test series that his team won.
Kohli trails Smith by 26 points and will have to produce a string of strong performances to leapfrog the Australian.
Pujara may not have set alight county cricket with his Yorkshire stint but many believe the time he spent in the country gives him a distinct advantage over his team mates.
India took a stranglehold over the West Indies on the opening day of the first Test at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. Having restricted the visitors to 234 in the first innings, the home team put up 37 without loss in 12 overs in reply by stumps.
After taking an unassailable 3-0 lead following the nine-wicket victory in the fourth One-Day International against England, India is likely to give a break to some of their key players in the inconsequential fifth and final match at Headingley, Leeds, on Friday.
With Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series against India, the scales are titled highly in favour of the hosts. History also shows that the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. With the Boxing Day Test around the corner, here is a quick look at how the teams stand.
Rookie seamer Ishwar Pandey was named in India's Test and ODI squads for the tour of New Zealand. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the team on the tour, which starts with the first One-Day International in Napier on January 19, 2014.
Umpires Ian Gould and Aleem Dar began discussion and soon match referee Andy Pycroft joined them on the ground. They initiated deliberations with both the captains, players were called off the ground and play never resumed after that.
Day 4 in the first Test was dominated by Australian performances. First, spinner Nathan Lyon bagged his sixth five-wicket haul as India were dismissed for 444 in the first innings. Then, opener David Warner continued in his sublime form and struck his second century of the match as the home side put up 290 for five in their second innings, an overall lead of 363 runs. Here are images from Friday's play at the Adelaide Oval.
New Zealand's bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets to reduce India to 239 for seven on Day 1 of the second Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Friday. The 24-year-old from Christchurch, who replaced Ish Sodhi, dismissed Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Murali Vijay (9) in the first 50 minutes in his brilliant first spell of 6-2-14-2 as the Kiwis seamers utilised the grassy condition to full effect after Kohli opted to bat.
Indian spinners were taken to the cleaners by the English batsmen as the visitors posted a mammoth 537 on the second day of the opening cricket Test in Rajkot on Thursday. - Scorecard India made a cautious start reaching 63 for no loss with openers Murali Vijay (25 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (28 not out) at the crease. England's first innings total was their third-highest ever in this country, showing their batsmen were in total control against Indian spinners especially Ravichandran Ashwin, who conceded 167 runs in 46 overs taking only two wickets.
'It's not about four or five bowlers; it's the balance that can get you 20 wickets. Like I have kept saying in the past, it depends on conditions' 'Competition for places, nothing like it. It goes to show everyone is one his toes, nobody will rest on his heels'
Images from Day 1 of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia in Dharamsala, on Saturday.
Images from Day 1 in the third Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Colombo.
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane struck fluent centuries as India fought back bravely before a flurry of late wickets allowed a sloppy Australia to take a slight edge on stumps on Day 3 of the third Test, in Melbourne
CSK began full-fledged preparations for IPL-12 at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.
Whether it is by choice or compulsion of injuries, Kohli's fetish for tinkering with playing XI is well documented -- something that wasn't questioned till the South African debacle happened.
Watching a domestic game at a nondescript centre in energy sapping conditions can be an ordeal but a small group of teenage girls were not going to be bogged down by weather or any other conditions.
Minor tweaks to his bowling after the lunch break made all the difference for left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe who claimed a career-best six for 35 to put Australia ahead in the opening Test against India on Friday.
India's star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin would be feeling the heat from his team mate Ravindra Jadeja as the two spinners take on Bangladesh in a one-off Test, starting in Hyderabad from Thursday.
Captain Steven Smith scored a big century and then grabbed a sharp catch to put Australia in a good position on Day 2 of the third Test at the MCG on Saturday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India is likely to pose a few questions to chief coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli depending on how the third Test against England pans out after being left disappointed by the team's meek surrender in the first two games.
'At least 7 to 8 players, who are all Test team specialists will have to be in England in June'
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
A Mitchell Johnson bouncer that struck India captain Virat Kohli on the helmet during the first Test on Thursday might actually help players get past the shock of Phillip Hughes's death, according to Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Dwyane Bravo recorded his best IPL figures with a four-wicket haul before Aaron Finch smashed 74 runs off 47 balls as Gujarat Lions thumped hosts Kings XI Punjab by five wickets to make a winning entry into the Indian Premier League match in Mohali.
The bad blood between Australia and India continued with spin all-rounder Glenn Maxwell making fun of host captain Virat Kohli's shoulder injury while fielding on day three of the third Test in Ranchi on Saturday.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad took six wickets to skittle out India for 152 and the hosts finished on 113 for three in reply to take control on an absorbing opening day of the fourth Test on Thursday.
Indian and Australian cricketers will soon be sharing dressing rooms in the Indian Premier League and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, fresh from his team's triumph in one of the most controversial and hard-fought bilateral contests in recent times, feels it's time to 'move forward'.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 2nd Test played between England and India at Lord's in London on Friday
England face an uphill battle to save the second Test at Lord's after slumping to 105 for four at the close of Sunday's fourth day in pursuit of 319 to beat India.
It was World No. 1 India's seventh Test series win in a row -- continuing the dominance that started in 2015 with victories against Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, England and Bangladesh.
India's out-of-favour seniors Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag have been omitted from the Board of Control for Cricket in India's contracted players' list for 2013-14. The retiring Sachin Tendulkar, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin are the five players in Grade 'A', and will pocket Rs 1 crore for the 2013-14 season.
The Delhi Daredevils team management, comprising of skipper Kevin Pietersen and coach Gary Kirsten, will have some selection dilemma ahead of the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), if Ross Taylor is to be believed.
'It's the communication, both of us have been playing Test cricket for a long time. Especially me and him -- we are playing (only) this format particularly and we have spent a lot time not just on field by talking about this format' 'To be very honest I was hoping to get a double hundred. They had so many runs on board. I thought it will help the team if I could get a double hundred'
With a tally of 19 wickets in the series so far, Moeen Ali is the second highest-wicket taker from both sides after team mate James Anderson, who has 21 dismissals to his name. Incidentally, only three spinners have taken more wickets against India outside Asia.
India mounted a positive reply after Steve Smith's unbeaten 178 and Glenn Maxwell's maiden century powered Australia to a series-high 451 on day two of the third Test in Ranchi on Friday.
India captain Virat Kohli, on Thursday, claimed his comment on friendship with the Australian team was 'blown out of proportion'.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 3:
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