But pace bowler Brett Lee is all set to bolster the Aussie attack.
The first Test between India and Australia may be shifted from Brisbane to Adelaide, the adopted home town of Phillip Hughes, providing both teams more time to come to terms with the tragic death of the cricketer who was to turn 26.
'Important things like concentration, having a balanced mind, staying calm at all times, all these important things he learnt from his mother.' Arvind Pujara, the master batsman's dad, has been much praised for instilling the right values in his only child, but he tells Rediff.com's Harish Kotian that it was his late mother Reena who is majorly responsible for Cheteshwar's success.
India have never won a Test series on Australian soil, but go into the series-finale starting Thursday with a 2-1 lead. The visitors need only a draw to claim a piece of history.
Former Australia cricketer Brad Hodge called Jasprit Bumrah 'a nightmare to face' in an enormous compliment but picked Cheteshwar Pujara's runs at number three as the vital difference between the two sides.
The skipper added that the journey since leading the side has been a learning curve for him, even as Australian cricket is just starting to come out of a period of strife.
Virat Kohli is the current flavour of the Indian fans with his exploits in the middle but reports of an ugly spat with a journalist at the World Cup will only enhance his reputation of being volatile.
'We played a lot of cricket throughout the year, so injuries are bound to happen. And there will be some concerns about form and fitness. I don't see there will be any drastic changes to the squad'
'When the team is struggling, he is the one who wants to step up and play that important innings.'
Former Australia wicketkeeper and legendary cricketer Adam Gilchrist has said that India's batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has earned the right to voice his opinions in his new book.
'Getting used to the lights and the pink ball, especially early on, is the key.'
A temporary ceasefire was called on Wednesday as Australia captain Steve Smith and his England counterpart Joe Root paused for photos under a blinding blue sky at the Brisbane stadium, but both captains have been looking to land a psychological blow on the eve of the first Test.
The Indian captain has said in the past that he does not mind on-field skirmishes and Mike Hussey believes it is that fire in his belly that inspires the Indian skipper to perform better.
Overwhelmed by the comparisons with Virender Sehwag after his dream debut in Australia, Mayank Agarwal says he will be happy if he could do even half of what the former India opener achieved in his illustrious career.
India's history-making cricket team was showered with gushing praise by former players with batting great Sunil Gavaskar slamming criticism that the triumph came against a weakened Australian team.
'The physio told me I might have a problem walking in the future because of the back injury and that I need to stop playing cricket.' 'But I was very keen that I kept playing.' 'I told him just get me pain free and I will make a comeback.' 'And I did exactly that.'
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.
The recall of Steve O'Keefe for a twin-spin attack and inclusion of debutant batting all-rounder Hilton Cartwright gives Australia the look of a team getting an early start on preparations for a tour of the sub-continent.
'The 2014 Australia tour and the brand of cricket played by the team laid a great foundation of the brilliant run of success enjoyed across all formats and conditions.' 'It also coincided with Virat Kohli enjoying the responsibilities of leading the team and then putting his heart and soul into taking the Indian team to ascend many unconquered summits.'
Cheteshwar Pujara didn't exactly have a great tour of Australia in 2014-15 but the Saurashtra batsman has been 'flexible in altering his game' as per team's demands which has got him success this time, said captain Virat Kohli.
All-rounder Hilton Cartwright will make his debut for Australia in the dead rubber third Test against Pakistan in Sydney on Tuesday, with left-armer Steve O'Keefe returning to the side as a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon.
Having enjoyed two successful stints with Australian cricket, American fielding guru Mike Young, who has also had a stint with India in December last year, is set to join the Kangaroos once again ahead of the ODI tri-series against India and England.
'He showed what Test cricket is all about.'< 'It is not about hitting the ball and looking fancy out in the middle, it is about showing grit.'
The Aussie skipper joins the Don and Sir Gary. Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers on the Fastest to 6,000 Tests club.
Harish Kotian evaluates Indian performances in the third Test.
'We have five to six bowlers and everyone is different from each other.' 'Someone has got pace, someone has got swing, someone has got seam... we complement each other well.'
'Imran had the misfortune to be in an age when there was a surfeit of mighty all-rounders.' 'Indians would not put him on a par with Kapil Dev or Vinoo Mankad,' points out Uddalok Bhattacharya.
The series is out of bounds but Indian cricket is all set to enter a new era under the feisty Virat Kohli, whose leadership would be put through a trial by fire when the visitors seek redemption in the fourth and final Test against Australia starting in Sydney on Tuesday.
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India will take on Australia in the second ODI of the tri-series, also involving England, on January 18, after Cricket Australia decided to swap the first two matches to give appropriate recovery time to the Indian players following the rescheduling of the four-Test series.
Top Indian and foreign players for one-off women's T20
When he had Jonny Bairstow (5) caught behind on the second day of the third Test at Edgbaston, the 33-year-old reached the milestone, in what is his 69th Test.
The 35-year-old Queenslander withdrew from Australia's ongoing warm-up match against Essex and quit the sport less than a week before the first Ashes Test against England starts at Cardiff next Wednesday.
Indian opener Lokesh Rahul showed the sort of grit that his mentor Rahul Dravid would have been proud of to brush off a miserable introduction to Test cricket with a maiden century at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday.
Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan could be in line for a test debut pending the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson after being named in Australia's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
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