England batsman Joe Root and Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath have moved up to second positions in their respective ICC Test player rankings but failed to displace top-ranked batsman Steve Smith and bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
Australia must stifle their attacking instincts in the subcontinent and 'bore' batsmen into giving up their wickets, captain Smith has said.
'I had a good two months in India with the Indian Premier League and we are really excited about this tournament'
India are on cusp of a first ever series win on South African soil across formats as they lead 3-0 in the six-match ODI series.
The recall of Steve O'Keefe for a twin-spin attack and inclusion of debutant batting all-rounder Hilton Cartwright gives Australia the look of a team getting an early start on preparations for a tour of the sub-continent.
'We probably didn't think it was going to move around like it did. It was tough but Jimmy (Anderson) was magnificent' 'I think we're still reasonably confident, obviously the last two days haven't gone to plan but I think we're still in front of the game'
All-rounder Hilton Cartwright will make his debut for Australia in the dead rubber third Test against Pakistan in Sydney on Tuesday, with left-armer Steve O'Keefe returning to the side as a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon.
Steve Smith's joy at leading Australia to a Test series win over New Zealand that took them back to the top of the world rankings on Wednesday was tempered by the news he had been charged with dissent for his role in a confrontation with an umpire.
A rampaging David Warner smashed a run-a-ball century to fire Australia to 278 for two and wrest back the momentum from Pakistan after Azhar Ali's unbeaten double-century buoyed the touring side on day three of the second Test on Wednesday.
The intense interest in the incident around the world reflects not only surprise at Steve Smith blithely admitting the conspiracy to cheat but also a perception that the Australian team are serial offenders in bending and breaking the rules.
Frustrated by the performance of his bowlers in the second One-Day International against Australia in Brisbane on Friday, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni declared that given the attack at his disposal right now even 300-plus scores are not enough against the home side.
"All the players have played there before (and) played IPL (Indian Premier League) there. Whatever team is selected, that will be the right team for those conditions and I really do think this could be one of our best chances to win the Twenty20 World Cup.
Openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum provided the perfect platform as Gujarat Lions chased down an imposing 196-run target to beat Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League match, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune, on Friday.
India's batting mainstay Virat Kohli suggested Australia will make the grave mistake of adding 'fuel to fire' if they needle him in Sunday's win-or-bust World Twenty20 contest but asserted he is good enough to excel without provocations.
Unheralded British youngster Kyle Edmund faces a Davis Cup baptism of fire when he makes his debut in the final on Friday against Belgium's David Goffin in the opening rubber.
Left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe took 12 wickets in the match to help Australia beat India by 333 runs in Pune on Saturday as the tourists took a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series between the world's top-ranked sides.
A Test match that ended in a forgettable draw between Australia and India on Tuesday will be memorable for all the wrong reasons for batsman Shaun Marsh who was run out for 99 in a desperate bid to raise his first century on home soil.
Steve Smith and George Bailey's brilliant knocks overshadowed Rohit Sharma's magnificent 171 as Australia beat India by five wickets in the first ODI of the five-match series in Perth on Tuesday.
Coach Darren Lehmann gave Australia a mark of '7.5' out of 10 for a year in which they won the World Cup but lost the Ashes, the series most prized by home fans.
Replacement paceman Kyle Abbott took 6-77 as South Africa completed an innings and 80-run humiliation of Australia the second Test in Hobart on Tuesday to seal the three-match series with a game to spare.
This was not the first time that Steve Smith and the Australian team resorted to unfair measures in a Test match to gain advantage over their opponents.
India coach Anil Kumble on Tuesday said there is no need for his team to curb its aggression despite the din over on-field behaviour in what is turning out to be an intensely-fought Test series against Australia.
Ben Stokes smashed an unbeaten century as England outclassed World champions Australia by 40 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-hit match to knock them out of the ICC Champions Trophy, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
Kane Williamson staged a fight-back along with opener Tom Latham (36), and Ross Taylor (26) as New Zealand reached 140 for 2 (42 overs) at close of play on Day 2 of the 2nd Test at the WACA in Perth on Saturday.
A resurgent New Zealand have landed in Australia with high hopes of upsetting Steven Smith's rebuilding side in a three-match series capped by Test cricket's first day-night clash.
Captain Steven Smith's love affair with Pune continued as he led Rising Pune Supergiant to a seven-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in a thrilling Indian Premier League match, in Pune, on Thursday.
Australia's Steve Smith, attributed his success to calmness and the repetitive process of getting ready for on-field battle.
South Africa were 140 for six wickets in their first innings when rain brought an early close to play on the second day of the first test at SuperSport Park on Thursday. Mitchell Johnson had figures of 4 for 51.
The astronomical fee paid for Ben Stokes at the IPL auction is a confirmation of his status as the modern game's finest all-rounder.
Unheralded left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe grabbed a sensational match-haul of 12 wickets as a sloppy India slumped to a humiliating 333-run defeat inside three days in the first Test against Australia in Pune.
Australia made a meal of it but successfully chased down 128 for a four-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after dismissing India for 224 on the fourth day of the second Test.
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.
Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja hammered home the advantage their bowlers had established when they took Australia to 147-3, a deficit of just 36 runs, at the close of the opening day's play in the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.
Timing is everything in the cut-throat world of international cricket and Australian captain Michael Clarke knew the game was up for him.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar says if India wants to win the ongoing five-match ODI series in Australia they need to find a way to dismiss home team skipper Steven Smith early.
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon said officials have done a good job.
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.
Statistical highlights from the day's play
Images from the fourth One-Day International between Australia and India in Canberra, on Wednesday.
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