A wicket-laden Boxing Day Test at the MCG triggered widespread debate, with former cricketers from both Australia and England questioning whether the pitch offered far too much for the bowlers.
Glenn Maxwell's hopes of reviving his Test career may be over after the all-rounder missed out on selection in Australia's much-changed squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
'...there was a time there where it could have been 250 or 270 (run lead) or maybe even less there for a bit.'
The hosts lost six wickets in the first session for 94 runs after resuming on four for no loss on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has set himself a tentative 4-6 week time to recover from a lumbar bone stress injury.
Taking aim at senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, among others, he said that if their aim was to prolong their send-offs till after the Ashes, it was a wrong mindset.
The 3rd Test match in Kingston, Jamaica, will mark Australia's first day-night Test away from home and if they opt for a pace-heavy attack, Scott Boland could come into the side.
Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
Sunil Gavaskar has advised India's flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant to "respect" the conditions before launching into his attacking strokes
Uncapped McSweeney to open with Khawaja in India series
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
India lost seven wickets for the addition of just 70 runs as they crumbled in the first session itself. Here's how the Day 5 panned out.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday he was more likely than not to miss the first Ashes Test in Perth next month and is not absolutely certain of being fit for the second in Brisbane.
Joe Root contributed a magnificent 160 to England's first-innings tally of 384 but Travis Head drove Australia to 166 for two in response on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Images from Day 3 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
'I didn't know that we'd won kind of everything until half an hour ago but that's always the aim.'
The opening day drew more than 50,000 fans making it the fourth highest attendance ever for a day of Test cricket at the Adelaide Oval.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
Before the situation could escalate, a vigilant security official intervened, calming the cricket legend and escorting him towards the dressing room.
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Head smashed a swashbuckling hundred to fetch Australia a first innings lead of 157 at his home ground the Adelaide Oval.
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald backed Mitchell Starc ahead of the Ashes series starting from June 16 at Edgbaston.
Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the second Test against India in Adelaide with a low grade side injury.
Virat Kohli's subdued 17 off 69 balls extended his lean patch in the series.
Virat Kohli's struggles in Test cricket hit a new low as he joined an unusual list of players dominated by tailenders.
Joe Root looks on course not only to break Sachin Tendulkar's century record in Tests but could also overtake his record run-scoring tally.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Buoyed by their win in the first Test in Perth, the Indian cricket team arrived in Canberra for the mid-series two-day game against the Australia Prime Minister's XI on November 30 and December 1 ahead of the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide on December 6.
Australia heaved a major sigh of relief on Wednesday after skipper Pat Cummins declared run-machine Travis Head fit for the Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Saturday.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Friday.
Images from Day 2 of the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide on Thursday
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
'That is a stupid shot that is letting your team down badly.'
The Delhi-based Gambhir will skip India's two-day pink ball warm-up game against Prime Minister's in Canberra starting November 30.
Virat Kohli survived a controversial catch call on the first ball he faced in the fifth and final Test at Sydney on Friday.
