Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh drove Australia to within 74 runs of a series-winning victory at the dinner-break in the third and final Test in Adelaide on Sunday after New Zealand's pacemen captured three early wickets.
The Indian batsmen have been outwitted by Australian spinners in the ongoing Test series but Cheteshwar Pujara insists that there is "nothing wrong" with their batting line-up.
They conceded 347 runs from just 50 overs against the Prime Minister's XI.
The uncapped pair are the newcomers in captain Steven Smith's 15-man squad, which includes 10 players with less than 10 Tests, as Australia look to rebuild following a string of retirements after the Ashes defeat in England.
Check out the images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India played at Sydney Cricket Ground
Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August.
Middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb, who played a crucial role in salvaging a draw for Australia in the third Test in Ranchi, says his unbeaten 72-run knock came in the 'toughest conditions' he has ever played in.
With the second Test set to start on Wednesday, here is a quick fact check on how both teams stand at the Gabba.
Zimbabwe held on for a thrilling draw in their three-day tour match against Western Australia.
'He knows what works best for him in the shortest format, T20. It's probably just about finding that balance at international level as well'
Australia pick two uncapped players for first two Tests
Dinesh Karthik scored a fighting fifty (58 off 44) but it went as vain as the Lions kept losing wickets at crucial junctures to make a hash of the chase.
Images from the final day's play of the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Tuesday.
Dhoni slammed an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls after Kohli laid the foundation for India's series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI with a fluent century.
Virat Kohli smashed his 39th one-day international century as India claimed a dramatic six-wicket victory over Australia at a sweltering Adelaide Oval on Tuesday to level up the three-match series at 1-1.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and South Africa in Perth, on Friday.
"Chris has improved but he is still not 100 percent so we are restricting his training (and) therefore he is unavailable for selection for the second Test."
The left-hander underwent scans on his jaw after being struck by an Andre Russell bouncer in the second over of Australia's innings
India came within sniffing distance of a defining victory before a stoic resistance by Australia's tail delayed the inevitable in the third Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
They endured a disastrous run the last time around to finish at the bottom of the heap and Kings XI Punjab would be aiming to make amends this season when they begin their campaign against newbies Gujarat Lions in their IPL opener in Mohali on Monday. Kings XI Punjab did not make any big buys this year and have a new captain in South African David Miller in place of Australian George Bailey who was released after leading the side to the last place in the previous season. Virender Sehwag has also retired and he will serve as team mentor this season. The Preity Zinta-owned side continues to lack the team balance as it has not added any significant player, only snapping the likes of all-rounders Farhaan Behardien and Marcus Stoinis, seamer Mohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh. Last season, their batsmen lacked consistency and whenever they did well, the bowlers let the side down. On the other hand, debutants Gujarat Lions have a balanced side with top-class performers in both batting and bowling. They have explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, captain Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch and a plenty of top-notch all-rounders in Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja and James Faulkner.
Australia captain Steve Smith said the all-rounder would be included, probably for Peter Handscomb, if the WACA track is not quick enough.
Images from the World Cup Pool A match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Despite the Indian bowlers working hard to improve their chances of a win in the third Test in Melbourne, Australia finished Day 4 on 261 for seven with Shaun March (62 no out) and Ryan Harris (8 not out) and 326-run lead. Rogers and Shaun Marsh scored fighting fifties to put Australia in a strong position on Monday. Here are the statistical highlights from the day's play.
Explosive batting from Jason Roy and Jos Buttler helped England record their highest ever ODI score against Australia and fire them to a second successive win by 38 runs at Cardiff.
Following is a fact box on the second Test of the four-match series between Australia and India:
Backing Shaun Tait's surprise return to the Australian T20 squad for the three-match series against India, former pacer Jason Gillespie said the tearaway speedster will cause a lot of damage on Indian tracks if he makes the squad for the World T20 starting March 8.
South Africa's Temba Bavuma was left stranded on 95 not out as they tightened their grip over scandal-hit Australia after reducing the hapless visitors to 110 for six at the close on the second day of the fourth and final Test on Saturday.
It is usually a sign of a day with few redeeming features when a coach rather than a player faces the media after play and Sunday's appearance of England's Trevor Bayliss was no exception.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the 'Firsts' in IPLs so far...
Australia bundled out England for a paltry 103 in their second innings to win the second Test match at Lord's on Sunday by a massive margin of 405 runs on the fourth day.
Mitch Marsh has said that he is in no hurry to make his entry into the Australian Test team in the wake of failures from his older brother, Test batsman Shaun.
Rohit Sharma's second successive century was once again overshadowed by Australia's collective batting might as the hosts continued their dominance over Indian bowlers to notch up a seven-wicket victory in the second One-Day International in Brisbane.
Hosts Australia will pull on a classic uniform from the 1980s featuring green strip on bright gold top and pants when they take on India in the three-match ODI series.
Australia were 221 for 4 at close of play, in response to India's 408, on Day 2 of the second Test at the Gabba, on Thursday. Check out some images from the day's play.
IMAGES from the 2nd ODI played between Australia and India at Adelaide on Tuesday
Following is a fact file on the first Test match between Australia and India in Adelaide and how the teams have performed at the Adelaide Oval over the years:
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has had an operation on his left leg after a freak training ground accident, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday.
Steven Smith will lead Australia in Friday's tri-series match against England in absence of suspended George Bailey, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.
A pool of 346 cricketers will go under the hammer at the IPL Player Auction in Jaipur on December 18.
The report into the investigation has not been made publicly available, with CA citing confidentiality, and the information vacuum has been filled by speculation and innuendo as the years rolled on.
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