Sydneysider Warner went into the current series with question marks over his form due to a lack of test runs, but a rapidfire 164 in the first innings of the opening test in Perth erased any doubts over his position in the team.
Probably the pitch is playing on Australians' mind before the big match.
If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket
Two teams with fault lines in their batting, up against two of the best bowling sides in the game today -- the question that determines the outcome is, is your weakness greater than mine?
Ponting said at the end of the day it comes down to individual preparation.
From England's fiery all-rounder Ben Stokes to India's rising star Shubman Gill, and the ever-reliable Babar Azam from Pakistan, these cricketing maestros are ready to redefine the game.
The teams will not have the luxury of an Impact Player in the T20 World Cup.
Scott Boland will become the first indigenous Australian Test player since Jason Gillespie played his last match in 2006 when he receives his baggy green cap on Sunday.
A lot of focus is on how Australia will cope with the dangerous Ravichandran Ashwin on turning tracks in India.
Steve Smith says Australia is better off training on its own rather than playing tour games on "irrelevant" Indian pitches ahead of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series next month.
Australia's ODI captain Aaron Finch, on Monday, warned the 'under-pressure' batsmen of his side to be ready for some shake-ups ahead of the series against India following their lacklustre showing recently against South Africa.
Pat Cummins admits he would relish taking the prized wicket of England captain Joe Root in this week's opening Ashes Test in Brisbane even if he had not earned a late promotion into the Australian captaincy.
Australia vice captain Travis Head backed on Thursday the idea of playing the entire Test series against India in a 'bio-secure' Adelaide Oval to ensure the lucrative fixture goes ahead later this year. Cricket Australia (CA) is banking heavily on the series, reportedly worth A$300 million ($195 million) in revenue, to help it cope with a financial crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Under-pressure Australia batsman Usman Khawaja is "frustrated" after failing to convert a number of starts in the Ashes series but insists his batting is in a good place as he looks for form in the tour match against Derbyshire on Thursday.
As vice-captain, 28-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins would be the obvious choice to replace Tim Paine. His appointment would enable a rapid transition with the start of the Ashes series against England only three weeks away.
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said on Thursday Rohit Sharma "doesn't need to be taught to score hundreds".
India has lost three finals and on four occasion it bit dust at the semifinal stage. It also made an exit at the preliminary stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Forget team colours! Let's build the ultimate dream team, a team that would dominate any opponent...
'Right now I think Finchy (Aaron Finch) is doing a great job, Painey is doing a great job. So, that gives Pat Cummins the opportunity to learn and watch and sit back and see how he feels about that role and experience a few different things'
Nasser Hussain reckons James Anderson will pip Stuart Broad for a place in the 2nd Test starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
Paceman Mitchell Starc retains his place in the side despite what was perceived to be a sub-par performance in Adelaide, and will be looking for a strong performance in conditions which are expected to favour his skills at the new Perth Stadium.
The series is even more important for Kohli as it would also define his legacy as a leader having already established himself as world's premier batsman.
It would be interesting to see who India leave out to play Rohit Sharma
Images from Day 2 of the Pink-ball first Test between Australia and India, in Adelaide, on Friday.
Despite the pair making certain of selection, doubts remain in other areas of captain Tim Paine's team, with opener Matt Renshaw picking up a head injury after being struck by the ball during the tour game that ended on Tuesday.
'They have got so much talent. And in the last 10 years when they have not been playing home Test matches (for security reasons), they have done a remarkable job to be as competitive as they have and continue to bring on the level of talented players they have.'
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
There will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
Wary of the threat posed by Kuldeep Yadav, Australian captain Steve Smith on Saturday said the Indian left-arm wrist spinner is difficult to pick and his side has put in extra effort at the nets to prepare for him.
Skipper Matthew Wade led from the front with a sparkling century as Australia A cruised to a 108-run victory over South Africa A and maintained a clean slate in the tri-series cricket tournament, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
Ferguson, who will need five to six weeks to recover, is returning to New Zealand and a replacement for him will be named on Tuesday, coach Gary Stead told reporters on Monday.
'If it weren't for Om Puri, a whole range of our big city experiences wouldn't have found their honest representations on the screen.'
The Australians, led by Steve Smith, arrived in Chennai from Bangladesh after drawing a two-Test series and the match tomorrow would give them opportunity to at least switch to the One-day format.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and India at the SCG, on Thursday.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
Zimbabwe will be the second time that the leg-spinner will represent India at the international level. Few are aware that the then junior national chess champion represented India at the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece in 2002.
Enjoying one of the best phases in his career so far, Royal Challengers Bangalore's inspirational leader Virat Kohli is ready to play through pain against Kings XI Punjab with multiple stitches in his split webbing in another must-win IPL encounter in Bengaluru on Wednesday. Kohli sustained split webbing in his left hand while fielding against Kolkata Knight Riders as he went for a diving catch. He left the field briefly to get medical assistance, got his webbing taped and was back in field. He then played another classy knock to keep RCB's play-off qualification hopes alive. "I might need 7-8 stitches," Kohli had said after the match but if KXIP thought that the opposition skipper will make himself unavailable, they would be in for disappointment as RCB's manager Avinash Vaidya said that India's No 1 batsman will be playing in this crucial encounter.
'Curiosity, fierceness to solve a problem, push until it hurts and looking for the wow factor makes a good entrepreneur'.
On Wednesday the countdown had been replaced by the current date - "25-3" for March 25 in the days display - and the current time, after the International Olympic Committee decided to postpone the Games by one year.
Pressure had been building on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its president, Thomas Bach, with some athletes and sporting bodies angry that a seemingly inevitable decision had taken so long.
