As India goes into the four-match Test series against Australia, which commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, an analysis of the team.
There was no toss and India were allowed to bowl first. The players and officials, wearing black armbands, observed a minute's silence before the start of the play. India ended the day 99-2
Meanwhile, Australia skipper Michael Clarke, who was entangled in a war of words with Cricket Australia over his availability, is still a doubtful starter for the first Test following question marks over his fitness.
A week ago, cricket was considered one of the safest games in the world, a sport that anyone can play without any real fear for their safety.
The injury that left Australian batsman Phillip Hughes in a critical condition in hospital was a "rare" event but a reminder that cricket has always been a dangerous sport, West Indies batting great Brian Lara said on Wednesday.
Australia thrashed England by eight wickets in their fifth and final one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday to win the series 3-2 and take some consolation for the pain of Ashes defeat.
Clarke has the chance to become the first Australian captain to win an Ashes series on foreign soil since Steve Waugh in 2001.
Disappointed with India's performance in the ongoing tour of Australia, former New Zealand cricketer Danny Morrison feels the touring side looks "emotionally drained".
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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.
With Steven Smith now helming the Australian affairs, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni returning from injury, the 2nd Test at Gabba, starting Tuesday, will shed light on the mindset of the two leaders.
India captain Virat Kohli today said that Murali Vijay's dismissal proved to be the turning point in their 48-run defeat against Australia in the first cricket Test, in Adelaide on Saturday.
The first Test Australia hosts against India this week is set to be fraught with conflicting emotions as players return to battle with a mixture of relief and apprehension after the tragic death of Phillip Hughes.
Australia's cricketers returned to their aggressive brand of cricket in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes's death as they held their first training session in Adelaide since the tragedy.
Phillip Hughes's sad demise barely a week before the first India and Australia Test has put a question mark over the series opener and batting great Sunil Gavaskar feels the onus is on the cricket boards of the two countries to decide whether to call off the match or not.
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has warned his team to beware a backlash from a wounded Australia in the second and final Test in Abu Dhabi starting on Thursday.
Australia are the unsurprising favourites to clinch a fifth World Cup.
Australia all-rounder Shane Watson said memories of Phil Hughes will flood him the moment he steps out to compete in the fourth Test against India in Sydney, starting on January 6.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes India can win the Adelaide Test if they remain in a positive frame of mind despite another good batting show by Australia on the fourth day of the match.
A Mitchell Johnson bouncer that struck India captain Virat Kohli on the helmet during the first Test on Thursday might actually help players get past the shock of Phillip Hughes's death, according to Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
Phil Hughes, who died on Thursday aged 25, will forever be remembered as one of Australian cricket's free spirits.
Timing is everything in the cut-throat world of international cricket and Australian captain Michael Clarke knew the game was up for him.
Clarke now averages 16.71 for the series, the worst performer among Australia's recognised batsmen who have played more than two Tests in the series.
David Warner said he might quit the Indian Premier League (IPL) to concentrate on Tests.
Phillip Hughes's tragic death cast a shadow over an eventful year that saw Ashes rivals Australia and England brawl on the field and bond off it, joining India to pull off a bloodless coup and take charge of the game.
Ahead of the four-Test series against Australia, pacer Ishant Sharma says it is vital to learn from whatever India did right on past tours, focus on that and keep doing the same.
Cricket Australia will be understanding of players who feel uncomfortable about playing in the wake of the death of Phillip Hughes when the rescheduled India Test series starts next week, chief executive James Sutherland said on Tuesday.
England completed a crushing 347-run victory over Australia with a day to spare in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Australia skipper Steven Smith said that the pitches did not "break up quite as much as expected" during the four-match cricket Test series against India and it hampered the home side's chances of winning by a bigger margin.
Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor has come out and praised Virat Kohli for the way he marshalled the Indian team in the first Test here, saying the young batsman knows how to play cricket Down Under.
He may have made scoring look easy on the Adelaide track by notching centuries in each innings, but David Warner insisted that the pitch isn't placid anymore and his team is determined to take all 10 Indian wickets on the final day and win the first Test on Saturday.
Rohit Sharma says India are confident of putting up a good show in the first Test against Australia as past two weeks' stay in Adelaide and the two tour-games have helped them get familiar with the conditions.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan stated that stand-in skipper Virat Kohli will have to wait a little more to lead the side given that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has arrived in time for the opening match.
The fourth One-Day International between India and Australia was abandoned in Ranchi, because of a wet outfield caused by heavy rain.
Aggressive off-spin bowling from Graeme Swann and indifferent Australian batting allowed England to seize control of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Friday.
Former India pacer Irfan Pathan says the death of Australian batsman Phil Hughes may have come as a big shock, but fast bowlers never use bouncers to deliberately hurt anyone.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann on Wednesday said the home side is liking the charged up atmosphere created by the newly-appointed Indian captain.
Virat Kohli became only the third Indian to score a hundred on his captaincy debut as the visitors responded resolutely to Australia's mammoth first innings total by reaching 369 for five on the third day to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
There was a lot of buzz about the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch for the high-octane India versus Australia semi-final on Thursday.
Day 4 in the first Test was dominated by Australian performances. First, spinner Nathan Lyon bagged his sixth five-wicket haul as India were dismissed for 444 in the first innings. Then, opener David Warner continued in his sublime form and struck his second century of the match as the home side put up 290 for five in their second innings, an overall lead of 363 runs. Here are images from Friday's play at the Adelaide Oval.
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