Can the young trio of Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep leave a mark in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series?
Questions are mounting on when the 37-year-old India captain will finally call time on his Test career.
Rohit's numbers with the willow has been a bit underwhelming during the five home Tests but those were played on difficult tracks.
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has called for an improved performance from India's batting unit in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, saying the lack of runs from the top-order builds pressure on the lower-order.
Images from Day 1 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Akash Deep reveals how Virat Kohli offered him one of his bats -- a bat that scripted a rare happy memory during India's otherwise devastating tour of Australia.
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram explained how Bumrah's release point is at least a foot closer to the batters than any other bowler, making it that much difficult to pick the length.
Jasprit Bumrah embodies the qualities of pace legends such as Dennis Lillee, Andy Roberts and Richard Hadlee
Sean Abbott and Beau Webster, seasoned domestic cricketers, remain on the fringes of Australia's Test squad
Paine, who coached Australia A in the recent series against India A, witnessed Jurel's exploits in the second 'unofficial' Test where the 23-year-old scored an 80 and 68 at Melbourne.
For Shastri, India's recent successes in Test cricket have often been defined by the stubbornness and resilience of the tail-enders.
Here are glimpses of fans adding some Christmas cheer and just having a good time at the MCG on Sunday...
India A wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was embroiled in a ball-change controversy, facing accusations of 'inappropriate behaviour' during their seven-wicket defeat to Australia A.
K L Rahul eases concerns surrounding his fitness ahead of the first Test against Australia, starting in Perth, by batting comfortably in the nets on Sunday.
Over 4000 standing room tickets will be available for 30 Australian dollars and sold on a first come first serve basis.
India recorded crowds of 67,200 and 66,352 for the first two Twenty20 cricket matches against England at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last month.
Nathan McSweeney is on the brink of a major debut, set to partner Usman Khawaja as Australia's opening batters in the series against India.
A state memorial service for cricketing great Shane Warne will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the evening of March 30.
Can Rahane lead India out of the depths of misery and to the glorious peaks of victory?
'When Nathan Lyon was bowling I saw two or three balls without any drift. So, I thought of taking on Lyon so that we get some quick runs.'
The Indian team took to the nets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday with all of their players going through a rigorous training session.
'Going into Brisbane, India need a tight strategy for Travis Head and they need to get Akash Deep in and maybe Ravindra Jadeja for Ashwin.'
'Rahane led the side brilliantly, bowlers were relentless but the biggest positive is the performance of two debutants. Both of them were confident and not overawed by the big occasion. Strength of Indian cricket is their strong bench strength'
Key players, such as pacer Mitchell Starc, are hitting form at the right time, while star batter Steve Smith is facing early setbacks in his preparations.
All eyes will be on star India batter Virat Kohli, who is perhaps battling the biggest form crisis of his career.
'What a win this is, absolutely amazing effort by the whole team. Couldn't be happier for the boys and specially Jinks who led the team to victory amazingly. Onwards and upwards from here.'
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
India 'A' will play two first-class matches against Australia 'A' in the run-up to the marquee Border Gavaskar Trophy later this year, CA announced on Tuesday.
India opener Shafali Verma said her no-holds-barred approach goes well with Smriti Mandhana's elegance.
'A lot to work on but this is the blueprint of the way we want to play Test cricket and hopefully we'll keep doing that.'
India will play their 100th Test against Australia as they meet in the Boxing Day Test
Those three wickets for six runs, in a manic final 15 minutes of the day's play, undid all the good work that had gone before, asserts Prem Panicker.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against Australia in Perth?
The ICC confirmed the rating on Tuesday, a marked improvement from the three demerit points that they earned after last year's drawn Ashes Test.
A lifeless MCG pitch received a 'poor' rating from the governing International Cricket Council in 2017
The dawn of a new era had begun under Sourav Ganguly's aggressive leadership. With Ganguly and Coach John Wright at the helm India had transitioned into a force to be reckoned with.
The MCG is under pressure to ensure a safe pitch ahead of the Boxing day Test.
Check out the early reaction of fans on Day 1 of the second Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.