Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
With just one match left in the series, Rohit Sharma and his men face a steep challenge to secure their spot in the final at Lord's next year.
Jasprit Bumrah seems to have found a new companion in coffee.
Left arm quick Mitchell Starc will replace injured seamer Mitchell Johnson in Australia's lineup for the fourth and final dead rubber Test against India starting on Tuesday.
The weather-ravaged, dead rubber third Test between Australia and the West Indies petered out in a draw at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday.
"I've always played my cricket under the belief that you pick your best 11 players and that's never changed. I think it's wrong to give players guarantees," the Australian Test captain said.
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.
"I was the one who suggested that we should go back home immediately because it was clear it was one-sided and it was not fair but Anil (Kumble) showed great leadership qualities and managed everything," Laxman said during the launch of his book '281 and Beyond' in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Australia's bowling was of the highest quality on the final day and there were positives in the batting, too, throughout the third Test in Melbourne.
India's young guns are fearless and mentally hardened by the IPL exposure. But true mettle will be tested when adversity strikes -- and this time, there will be no Kohli to stir up the crowd, no Rohit to deliver a captaincy masterstroke, and no Ashwin to conjure wickets out of nowhere.
Former England pacer Stuart Broad on Tuesday spiced up the leadup to the Ashes series, starting in Perth on November 21, claiming that the battle is between "the worst Australian team since 2010" and the "best England team since 2010".
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg believes that the aggressive tone of the ongoing Test series between India and England will be a huge selling point for the match-day tickets of the upcoming Ashes.
Ravichandran Ashwin is set to create history as the first capped India men's player to play in the Australia's Big Bash League.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar will join Australia's squad for the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney, captain Steven Smith said on Tuesday.
Two fast-bowling all-rounders look to be in a battle for one spot, while a decision between Prasidh Krishna and left-armer Arshdeep Singh could be condition-dependent.
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
Rohit Sharma's decision to 'opt out' of the ongoing fifth and final Test against Australia was bizarre as it sends wrong signals, said former opener Navjot Singh Sidhu.
Kumble admitted that given Bumrah's history with back injury, it will not be possible for him to play all the five-Test matches.
The Aussies also named a 14-player group for the first two T20I matches against India, with Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis earning recalls after they missed the recent T20I series with South Africa.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket has left the Indian think-tank fretting over the ideal playing combination that will take on Australia in the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground starting next Tuesday.
Aus ODIs: Bumrah, Gill workload to be discussed, battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek
In a bid to save its New Year fixture between India and Australia, the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust has offered to host the Brisbane Test too, if the Queensland government refuse to grant exemptions to the teams returning from New South Wales.
'In the last Test match... I had to be honest with myself. I wasn't hitting the ball well. I didn't want to put myself there only because we had dropped the other guys who were struggling as well.'
At the close, after 75 overs were squeezed in around two lengthy rain interruptions, the West Indies were 207 for six with Denesh Ramdin on 23 and Carlos Brathwaite not out 35 after winning the toss.
Questions are mounting on when the 37-year-old India captain will finally call time on his Test career.
'It was good fun. I was obviously really nervous. Super stoked for the boys to get the win.'
A dominant Australia looked firmly on course for a 5-0 Ashes series sweep when they reached 140 for four, a lead of 311, at close of play after skittling England for 155 on the second day of the fifth Test on Saturday.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
But Rohit's deplorable form in red-ball in red-ball cricket may have forced this decision.
Australia held their nerve in a tense chase, edging past India by two wickets to seal the series 2-0 despite a late fightback from the visitors on Thursday in Adelaide.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, is the other Indian giving Bumrah company in the top-10, having climbed a spot to be joint-ninth.
During his patient knock, Pujara faced 250 balls, hitting 16 of them for fours, and added 75 runs for the unbeaten fifth wicket stand with Vihari.
'I knew the finger was broken but I told the physio that I don't want to take any painkillers.' 'I was in very good rhythm and I just wanted to carry on.'
Delhi-born cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary set for Sheffield Shield debut for Tasmania in season 2025-26
Australia batter Matthew Short believes his team's pacers will continue to exploit Virat Kohli's recent weakness outside off stump when India face Australia in the second ODI, in Adelaide, on Thursday.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
Lokesh Rahul hit his maiden century, Virat Kohli his fourth of the series but Australia's Shane Watson hit back with two wickets in as many balls to leave India on 342 for five after the third day of the fourth Test on Thursday.
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