Images from Day 1 of the third Test between South Africa and India, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
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.
'Bumrah bowled really well, one of those spells that will dislodge most top-order players. That said, we need to be a lot better as a batting unit'
Rahane fell short of the three-figure mark again when he was bowled by paceman Shannon Gabriel
Rohit bats in the middle order in the longest format but has never really flourished as a Test batsman.
'It helps me get into a mindset that I have nothing to lose and play accordingly.'
Shivam Dube led India A's spirited comeback from 20 for five with an aggressive knock before pacer Sandeep Warrier struck thrice to leave West Indies A reeling in their second innings on day two of the second unofficial Test.
India 'A' will play a one-day tri-series involving Australia 'A' and South Africa 'A' followed by two four-day matches against the hosts.
Ajinkya Rahane's India have a mountain to climb, even if a draw would be enough to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy two years after their breakthrough 2-1 win in the 2018/19 series in Australia.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Australia skipper Tim Paine for sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the drawn third Test in Sydney, saying his behaviour was "unbefitting" of a leader and could cost him his captaincy.
If records were kept for standing ovations received in a match Alastair Cook would top that list too after a fairytale day at the Oval in which he engraved his 291st and last Test innings with a sublime century. Arriving at the crease on 46 not out to thunderous applause from a 19,000 crowd on Monday morning, England's most-capped Test player, record run scorer and century-maker rolled back the years to score 147.
A bundle of nerves ahead of his Test debut, Hanuma Vihari said a phone call to Rahul Dravid put his mind at ease and helped him get the maiden fifty that rescued India from a difficult situation against England.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between South Africa and India, in Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and young opener Prithvi Shaw are unlikely to be picked for the remaining Tests in Australia as India look to ring in wholesale changes after the batting debacle in Adelaide.
India could bring in off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin if he is ruled fit with Sydney pitch expected to be spin-friendly.
Rishabh Pant excelled with a counter-attacking 71-ball 67 as India 'A' scored a five-wicket victory over West Indies 'A' in the second unofficial Test, coming back from a precarious position to clinch the series 1-0, in Taunton, on Friday.
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.
Vihari has credited his success in the second Test against the West Indies to Ravi Shastri
'It is systematic chaos, it is organised chaos.'
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Agarwal, thrusted into the squad following failure of KL Rahul and Murali Vijay, responded with a 76-run knock off balls, sorting out India's opening woes to some extent.
New Zealand romped to a seven-wicket victory over India in the second Test in Christchurch on Monday for an emphatic 2-0 series sweep of the number one side in the world. The Black Caps dismissed the tourists for 124 in the first hour of the day before chasing down their 132-run victory target with half of the Test to spare for the loss of three wickets.
Hanuma Vihari says poor shot selection led to India getting bowled out for a below-par 242 against New Zealand on a "fair pitch", in the second Test, in Christchurch, on Saturday.
Pick your Playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand.
Ganguly feels it is the talented Indian batting line-up in DC that will make a difference in the tournament.
Rabada was pretty confident that bowling yorkers was the best option.
CSK, with their experience of winning important moments, will certainly make Capitals wary.
a red-ball warm-up game will be the most welcome distraction for Virat Kohli and his men as a precursor to the two-match Test series starting next week.
Finding it difficult to understand parameters of team selection, says Harbhajan
It is widely believed that the Indian team management was unhappy with Karun's inclusion in the Test set-up.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
What happened at the Gabba on January 19, 2021 now sits at the pinnacle of India's most significant Test wins, declares Faisal Shariff.
Indian cricket team will be aiming to pick up pieces while spoiling Alastair Cook's farewell party in the fifth and final Test against England starting Friday.
Having made a commendable comeback from the brink of a series defeat, India will look to increase their stranglehold on hosts England to draw parity when the two teams square off for the fourth Test, in Southampton, on Thursday.
The BCCI will lock in a three-week window between September 15 and October 15 for the resumption of the currently-suspended IPL in the UAE, when it holds a Special General Meeting (SGM) virtually on Saturday.
Record first win since 'sandpaper gate'
It was at Sydney that Virat Kohli was annointed with permanent Test captaincy and it is at the very ground that he created an epic chapter in Indian cricket history.
India put together their second highest team total on Australian soil, piling up 622/7 declared on the second day of the match. Their highest team total, 705/7 declared, was also incidentally scored at this venue, in 2004.
Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
'I had a lot of emotions when I got the cap.' 'It wasn't easy to get hold of those emotions and focus there, but it needed to be done.'
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