All eyes will be on the opening fixture between defending champions Saurashtra and record 41-time champions Mumbai in Ahmedabad with Rahane and Pujara on either side, aiming to make the big scores that have deserted them at the Test level for a while.
'He's come off a second stress fracture in his back and while he's just starting to get up and running in the nets now -- I think he's played six white ball games in the last 18 months -- that's T20 and one-day cricket'
'You want to see how people react to different situations. There is a fine balance that you need to maintain, something we have managed to do for the last few years.'
R Sridhar recalls 'Ravi ship' and more
Virat, Ishant set to return for England series starting Feb 5 as selection for first two Tests takes place on Tuesday.
Shreyas Iyer relishes finishing off games, but, on the back of his excellent run in the T20Is against Sri Lanka, he has expressed his desire to bat at No. 3, the place which is normally reserved for Virat Kohli.
Ajinkya Rahane said he enjoys opening the batting in the shortest format but he is also ready to explore a potential "finisher's role" with Delhi Capitals having several options at the top of the order during the upcoming Indian Premier League in the UAE.
Mumbai get the money-spinning tournament rolling in Chennai on Friday, just four months after claiming their second successive title, with a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by India captain Virat Kohli.
The two groups will unite late on Thursday night and with the opening ODI slated for Friday, the players will have no scope to wriggle in a practice session as one unit.
Senior New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor said India has set the bar really high and considering their bench strength, it will be an extremely tough battle for his team during the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final, in Southampton from June 18.
The spotlight will be on Smith when Rajasthan Royals clash with Punjab in their IPL opener on Monday.
England's seasoned leg-spinner Adil Rashid on Saturday said he was not disappointed to miss out on an IPL contract as he was not expecting to be picked at the first place owing to the large number of spinners in the T20 league.
Quinton de Kock was a surprise pick for the South African summer, only because both he and director of cricket Graeme Smith have previously said the burden of captaincy across all three formats would be too much for the wicketkeeper.
The dew was a factor at the Eden Gardens during ODI games under floodlights, something Tendulkar is apprehensive about.
'I think the ECB has been very forward-thinking,' Buttler said, praising the board for recognising the challenges of living in bio-bubbles
India's bowling coach Bharat Arun hailed Mohammed Siraj for his impressive showing with the ball in Australia, saying that the young pace bowler has both the anger and hunger to succeed at the highest level.
Rohit (left hamstring) and Ishant (side strain) are at the NCA undergoing rehabilitation, but the BCCI is yet to announce when the duo would reach Australia.
England are set to recall Jos Buttler as a specialist batsman in their team for the third Test against India in Mohali with Ben Duckett facing the axe after his struggles against off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two matches.
The key to Suryakumar Yadav's instant success in international cricket is great attitude and being surrounded by right kind of people till the time India call-up eluded him, said Mumbai Indians Director of Cricket Operations Zaheer Khan.
India would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies during the three-match T20 series against West Indies.
Shane Warne added that Jos Buttler's positive approach helped his non-striker Chris Woakes, who struck a match-winning unbeaten 84 after having averaged only 5.22 in his last six Tests.
Ricky Ponting believes all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is playing 'five times better' than what he was a year ago and could take up multiple roles for Australian cricket in limited overs cricket, including the job of a finisher.
Adil Rashid was, on Tuesday, named as the sole specialist spinner in the England playing XI for the series opener against India, creating more pressure on the leg-spinner after his controversial recall to the Test side.
The all-rounder also speaks of how coach Ravi Shastri has inspired him and the challenge of opening in Test matches.
Unlike in previous years when the under-19 players were in focus and even got lucrative offers, this time the franchises were rather subdued when it came to locking in the junior stars as evidently, it takes time for them to be mature enough for top-flight cricket.
Opener Rohit Sharma said that his endeavour would be to play "in a certain manner that his team expects him to".
Drift in cricketing terminology is the sideways movement in the air when a slow bowler tries to impart spin.
If Rahane's side can go 2-1 up and ensure the retention of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it will be one of the finest hours in the history of Indian cricket
Easwaran opened up on his hopes from the UK tour and what he has learned from the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by watching them closely in the India nets.
India will look to make the most of their only warm-up game, beginning, in Sydney, on Wednesday against Cricket Australia XI.
The hullabaloo over his hamstring was confusing as well as amusing for Rohit Sharma, who says he always knew that the injury was not that serious and he would be battle-ready for the tour of Australia.
'If he gets a couple of early wickets, he will be a different bowler but things may not go as per plan. It might take some time for him to get back the rhythm.'
When things were going right, I did not question my process so I did not want to sit back and overthink after four-five bad performances, I was doing most things right which was in my control'.
In white-ball cricket things are different -- over there you outsmart the batsman, and over here in Test cricket it's all about patience and consistency. That was my main focus today. You can't blast the batsmen out. I was looking to bowl good lengths and always challenge the batsmen with good lengths and good line. So in the end it was a good day.'
'The only place through which I can give an answer is through IPL even if I play for India. I want to face the fear and that's the only way to live life.'
If India's net session on Wednesday is taken into consideration, Wriddhiman Saha is starting as the wicketkeeper ahead of Rishabh Pant for the series opener beginning on Friday.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12s match between India and Afghanistan, in Abhu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
All-rounder Corey Anderson has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of Australia with a back injury and been replaced by Mitchell Santner, the team said on Monday.
With the skies over Delhi clouded with smog, many cast worried eyes on the fate of the first India-Bangladesh Twenty20 International scheduled at the Arun Jaitley stadium on Sunday.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
