According to Pujara, his nemesis Patrick Cummins bowled the 'ball of the series' about which he couldn't do anything.
Ashwin picked Smith's wicket in the first session of the Boxing Day Test on Saturday for a duck.
The Australians 'swept' their way to self-destruction in the face of the Indian spinners' guile in the second Test in Delhi on Sunday.
Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a couple of rungs to 10th but remained the best-placed Indian batsman, while the off-colour Virat Kohli dropped one spot to 15th in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Friday.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel picked up five wickets to help India grab a handy 49-run first-innings lead on Day 3 of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between Australia and India, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, on Saturday.
Has any cricketing legend asked the all-powerful BCCI Secretary Jay A Shah how selections are taking place without a chief selector in place for the last four months? Who takes all the important decisions at selection meetings?, asks Harish Kotian.
At times, Rishabh Pant has confounded the Indian team with his brazen batting style but skipper Rohit Sharma on Monday said they are willing to accept the way he bats for his sheer ability to be a game-changer in matter of minutes.
Ian Chappell reckoned Indian batsmen need to strike a balance between caution and aggression. Known for his sharp cricketing mind, Chappell's line of thinking is a bit different from that of Kohli.
Indian cricket team, led by skipper Virat Kohli, on Thursday reached St Kitts to play a four-Test bilateral series against the West Indies starting with the opening match at Antigua on July 21.
India's Test captain Virat Kohli took the field along with team mates for a light session at Green Park, in Kanpur, on Sunday.
Relieved after notching up his first hundred in close to two years, Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara thanked A team coach Rahul Dravid for reassuring him that there was "nothing wrong" with his technique during the prolonged lean patch.
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the batting landscape in India-Australia Test encounters.
'They have got tremendous depth in their squad, the big guns are back and they are a quality outfit under the leadership of Virat Kohli.'
'It's important to do that, give these guys confidence and we will take it from there. We are very open minded as a team management, so whatever suits the best for the team we will try and take that call.'
Team India is all set to take on Australia in the final of the ICC World Test Championship final from Wednesday at The Oval and this 'Ultimate Test' also brings with it a set of milestones that players can establish during the course of the match.
In recent years, India's batters have struggled against spin.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
Gearing up for a gruelling tour of Australia, the Indian team on Saturday began outdoor training with a light session after the entire contingent tested negative for COVID-19.
Victorious India will seek more of the same when the second Test against South Africa starts at The Wanderers on Monday, but for the home side there is much to ponder as they try to level the series at a ground where they have never beaten the visitors.
England's James Anderson became the leading fast bowler in Test history as he bowled Mohammed Shami to seal victory for England over India at the Oval on Tuesday.
Parthiv Patel gave his views on on what the World Test Championship title would mean for Virat Kohli.
At 876 points he is only eight points behind second-placed India spinner Ravindra Jadeja and 20 behind top-ranked James Anderson of England.
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul admitted that India missed the services of Kuldeep Yadav in the second innings of the second and final Test against Bangladesh.
Images from Day 3 of the second and final Test between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka, Mirpur on Saturday.
India's strong opening day show may have put South Africa on the backfoot in the first Test in Centurion, on Sunday, but home side pacer Lungi Ngidi said they still can turn the match around if they bowl the tourists out under 350.
It was a performance to remember for the ages by the Indian team as they thrashed England by 151 runs on a gripping final day of the second Test at Lord's on Monday.
'I have seen him evolve and mature, both as a person and a captain.'
Indian top-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara failed to impress on his County debut after managing just seven runs for Derbyshire in the four-day Division Two first-class match against Glamorgan in Cardiff on Wednesday.
Cheteshwar Pujara will be starting his 'homework' for India's 'English Test'.
Cheteshwar Pujara says India's strong reply on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide meant the team's young batsmen proved themselves.
India made just one change to their squad as Umesh Yadav replaced Shardul Thakur for the last two Tests of the ongoing four-match series against England.
India captain Virat Kohli will end the year as the top ranked batsman while Ajinkya Rahane slipped a rung to be seventh in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday. Kohli (928) remained 17 points ahead of Australia's Steve Smith who occupied the second spot while New Zealand skipper Kane Willamson (864) ends the year at number three.
Shastri, batting coach Vikram Rathour, bowling coach Bharath Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar have all reached from their respective home cities on Sunday.
With his tight technique and a cool temperament, Cheteshwar Pujara has an assuring presence at the crease, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said in praise of the young batsman, who rescued India with his century.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
The hosts are without the services of all-rounder Jadeja for the first two Tests of the four-match series against England as he is nursing a thumb injury he sustained on the tour of Australia.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who was left out of the first Test, is back in the mix as Shardul Thakur seems to have done his hamstring some damage during the training session at Lord's on Monday.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the first Test against England, starting on Wednesday?
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and New Zealand in Kolkata, on Friday.
