Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
Australia have called batsman Shaun Marsh into their squad for the opening Test of the four-match series against India, which was pushed back to next week after the death of Phillip Hughes.
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
The hard-hitting 27-year-old becomes the fifth Australia player to leave the Indian Twenty20 tournament early following the departures of captain Steve Smith, John Hastings and Mitchell and Shaun Marsh
Australia batsman Usman Khawaja is likely to replace injured Kevin Pietersen in the squad of Rising Pune Supergiants in season 9 of Indian Premier League. Pietersen was ruled out of the IPL on Sunday, leaving the subcontinent with a hole in his calf muscle and in Pune's batting order. If picked, this will be Khawaja's maiden IPL stint. The left-handed top-order batsman had gone unsold at IPL auctions in February despite scoring heavily in Australia's domestic circuit. Pune have not named a replacement for KP, but Khawaja is the one of the frontrunners, according to Supergiants coach Stephen Fleming. "He (Khawaja) is a guy we are surely looking at," Fleming said after the two-wicket loss to Kolkata on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals have made the perfect start to IPL, with two morale-boosting victories, while SunRisers Hyderabad are the only side yet to register a win in the tournament, having lost both their games.
Mayank Agarwal is likely to open with Shikhar Dhawan in Rohit's absence in the ODI series beginning on Friday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a 'sprightly wicketkeeper batsman, a fresh captain with a remarkable fitness.'
Kane Richardson will take his place in the 15-man squad for the tour, which starts with two Twenty20 matches later this month and is being used a warm-up for their World Cup title defence in England.
Having dismissed Australia for a paltry 145 in their first innings, Pakistan stretched their lead to a daunting 281 by stumps on day two with Zaman's 66 and an unbeaten 54 by Ali taking them to 144-2.
Debutants Rising Pune Supergiants, on Saturday made a splendid debut in the Indian Premier League by thrashing defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the opening game of the season at the Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai.
Australia, bidding to avenge their defeat in the Ashes Test series earlier in the tour, went 1-0 up in the One-Day International encounter when they beat England by 59 runs in Southampton on Thursday.
The right-hander currently has 873 points in the list of Test batsmen, headed by Australia captain Steve Smith.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took three wickets to take apart the Australian top order, has put South Africa in the driver's seat at the end of Day Four of the first Test here at the WACA on Sunday. - Scrorecard: The Proteas closed in on a first Test victory by reducing Australia to 169 for four, still 369 runs behind, at the end of the fourth day. Rabada, who took the price scalps of Shaun Marsh (15), Steven Smith (34) and Adam Voges (1), ensured that his side did not take their foot off the Aussie throats.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni is overstaying his time as India's limited over skipper and it is having debilitating effect on the Indian team.
Images from Day One of the first Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. Australia ended the day on 354-6.
David Warner's brilliant 173 was not enough to save Australia from a 32-run defeat by South Africa in the fifth and final One-Day International at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday.
'They are in the process of building a new team. But from what I watched in the first Test, some of the players are really good. You can't just rule Australia out of the series. Of course India are more superior but again they have to continue playing good cricket'
In what will be a dress rehearsal of their opening game in the World Cup, an unbeaten Australia take on England in the cricket tri-series final, in Perth on Sunday.
'I'm doing my best to make the number six spot my own, that's all I can do.'
Paine's batting lineup has been rated the worst Australia has ever, so the bowlers could well be under pressure
Australia respect the decision to allow Kagiso Rabada to feature in the rest of the Test series and the South African fast bowler's participation is 'exciting', Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said on Tuesday.
Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh hit centuries but Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath picked up six wickets to restrict Australia's first-innings lead to 24 runs on the third day of the third and final Test on Monday.
"He could have avoided any contact but to me he is just as guilty. Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn't dive to top it off."
Kagiso Rabada is appealing the guilty verdict handed to him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching their code of conduct in a last-ditch bid to be able to play in the rest of the gripping test series against Australia.
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.
The South Africa pacer was found guilty of a level two International Cricket Council code of conduct offence of "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player" after shoulder-charging Australia captain Steve Smith when he dismissed him in the first innings.
Kagiso Rabada produced a sublime spell of bowling to take five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 243 in their first innings on the opening day of the second Test on Friday.
Australia have dropped out-of-form limited overs specialist Glenn Maxwell from the squad for the one-day international series in Sri Lanka next month, the country's cricket board announced on Sunday.
His loss for even part of the series would be a huge blow to a team already missing so much batting experience because of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
Factbox on the four-Test series between India and Australia, which starts at Pune on Thursday:
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 5th Ashes Test played between England and Australia on Thursday.
Australia captain Steve Smith brushed off concerns about his fitness on the eve of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England on Wednesday before Mitchell Starc's return to spearhead the pace attack was confirmed as the only change to his team.
Rising Pune Supergiants all-rounder Rajat Bhatia has said no side can do much if the players get injured but it gives chance to other players to showcase their talent.
Kohli pips Smith as Cricket Australia's 'ODI Captain of Year'
Australia opening batsman Aaron Finch has declared himself fit for the Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne and said his injured finger would need to be cut off to prevent him from playing in front of his home state's fans.
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