If, as many anticipate, off-spinner Nathan Lyon returns to the Australia side for the third Ashes Test against England this week it would be just the latest unlikely chapter in a career which already has the flavour of a tale of the unexpected.
Joe Burns and Steve Smith capitalised on perfect batting conditions to score centuries as Australia reduced New Zealand's lead to just seven runs at the end of day two of the second test on Sunday. Neil Wagner dismissed both batsmen in identical fashion in the final half-hour to give his side some late reward for a day of toil under a cloudless Christchurch sky. Burns, who had been dismissed early in his innings only to have the decision overturned on review, was well caught low down by Martin Guptill at square leg for 170, his highest test score and third century. Smith also fell to a short ball in Wagner's next over for 138, his 14th test century, caught by the same fielder. Adam Voges was on two with nightwatchman Nathan Lyon on four as the visitors ended the day 363 for four, having all but mowed down New Zealand's first innings 370.
Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has termed Australia's decision to drop Nathan Lyon from the ongoing second Test as a "tactical blunder" and said the visting captain Michael Clarke must take some responsibility for the off-spinner's axing.
Former South African tweaker Johan Botha believes Pakistan refugee spinner Fawad Ahmed is the missing link in Australia's plot to regain the Ashes and No.1 Test ranking.
Cheteshwar Pujara's masterful 193 and Rishabh Pant's magnificent unbeaten 159 extinguished Australia's hopes of winning the SCG Test.
Portuguese-born all-rounder Moises Henriques has been handed a Test debut ahead of Glenn Maxwell for the first of the four-match series, starting in Chennai on Friday.
'India's is fantastic; Bumrah and Shami have been amazing'
A sympathetic Nathan Lyon is not too worried about the Australian batsmen's abject first-innings surrender in the third Test against India, saying 'success for them is around the corner'.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between Australia and South Africa at Old Trafford on Saturday
'After Adelaide we didn't discuss about what happened, we just wanted to play our game, show a good attitude, show good character on the field.'
Australia need five wickets in the second Test to secure a series-levelling victory with India's daunting run chase on a menacing pitch teetering at stumps on day four on Monday.
The 31-run victory in Adelaide was India's first series-opening win on Australian soil.
Australia offie Nathan Lyon reckons the Indian captain 'will be able to adapt to any climate that we are able to play in'.
Australia's plan to starve England of runs paid off handsomely as they reduced the home team to 238 for nine on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test in County Durham on Friday.
Photos from the 4th Ashes Test played in Chester-le-Street, County Durham on Friday.
Struggling Australia have turned to Shane Warne to help their spinners ahead of the make-or-break third Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
Nathan Lyon deserves credit for leading Australia's revival as he claimed five wickets to keep the visitors in the contest after Day 2 of the fourth and final Test in Delhi on Saturday.
Nathan Lyon scalped five wickets as the Indian batsmen were tested for the first time in the series on a crumbling track. The hosts still managed to take a slender four-run first-innings lead in the fourth and final cricket Test against Australia in New Delhi on Saturday.
Factbox on the third Test match between Australia and India, which starts on Friday.
Australia have hit rock bottom with their defeat to England in the second Ashes Test and spinner Nathan Lyon must be recalled at the expense of Ashton Agar if they are to turn things around, according to fast bowling great Glenn McGrath.
Australia pick two uncapped players for first two Tests
Xavier Doherty hardly troubled the Indian batsmen but Australian coach Mickey Arthur defended left-arm spinner's inclusion in the side, saying he was the best choice keeping in mind the way hosts handle off-spinners.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a record 224 against Australia in the first Test in Chennai on Monday to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record of highest individual Test score by an Indian captain.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's record of highest individual Test score by an Indian captain en route his majestic 224 against Australia in the first cricket Test.
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon wants the selectors to go with a two-spin attack against India in the upcoming four-Test series, which gets underway with the opening Test in Chennai on February 22.
David Warner made 88 not out and featured in two significant partnerships to lead Australia's robust reply to Bangladesh's first-innings total of 305 in the second and final Test on Tuesday.
Michael Clarke struck a sublime century to become his country's highest Test run-scorer in a calendar year as Australia marched to an imperious 278-run lead at the close of day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Cheteshwar Pujara struck an unbeaten 79 as Indian batsmen gave a far better account of themselves to keep the hosts afloat by taking a 126-run lead.
Faf du Plessis scored an inspirational century on debut as South Africa completed a morale-boosting draw in the second Test on the fifth and final day of against Australia on Monday.
The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon is aiming for a five-wicket haul against a demoralised India as the fourth and final Test at the Adelaide Oval heads into the fifth day.
Images of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla
Australian offie Nathan Lyon's deadly performance after tea sent India reeling on Day 2 of the fourth Test in New Delhi. He is our top performer of the day.
India's quest to find the right combination for the upcoming World Cup ended with a 35-run defeat in the decisive fifth ODI against Australia as they lost the series 2-3.
He was dropped from the team after the opening Test itself, but Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says his confidence has only gone up as he has managed to get the wicket of Indian veteran Sachin Tendulkar in the ongoing series.
'We may have to play ugly to score runs and take wickets. Captain Steve Smith talked about adapting to the conditions'
The strategy of dropping Nathan Lyon and opting for a twin spin attack, in the form of the inexperienced Xavier Doherty and Glenn Maxwell, for the Test completely backfired on the team.
Though Australia are still undecided about the composition of their team for the second Test, captain Michael Clarke says if they go with one spinner, it doesn't necessarily have to be Nathan Lyon.
Team India got off to a slow start on the third morning, adding only 14 runs to their overnight total (182-3) in the first 11 overs of the day.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon said that he would be looking to attack the Indian batsmen on spin-friendly tracks rather than containing them when the four-Test series commences in Chennai on Friday.
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