Ponting's advice followed time-honoured lines of Perth - leaving the ball on length, being selective on balls to drive and cashing in on the cut and the pull

The key for the opener will be to ensure he builds on the dual scores of 26 with innings of greater heft to match his obvious skill

The focus ahead of the Perth Test was on Mitchell Starc, who has struggled to hit form and rhythm, even as Australia believe they have a slight advantage over India at the new Perth Stadium

The second Test will be a step into the unknown at a new ground but Australia know what they want to see

Australia batted more balls in this Test match than India, a simple but clear indicator that they really did try their very hardest in the face of big challenges

The Australia captain insisted there was no damage after he took a blow while batting and also offered support to Mitchell Starc ahead of the Perth Test

The Australia offspinner is confident of Shaun Marsh and Travis Head countering R Ashwin on the final day

False strokes and quick interviews were all in the mix for Australia, as the demands of four days of Test cricket started to take a toll

So far, the team under Langer and Paine has proven more adept and comfortable being underdogs and fighters than front-runners and dominators

Despite Travis Head's resourcefulness, the hosts' modest batting resources stood exposed in the absence of Steven Smith and David Warner

Australia's first day of Test cricket on the new broadcasters, Seven and Fox Sports, recorded a combined average of fewer than 1 million viewers nationally at peak time in the final session

Making tweaks to stay more upright while bowling has been central to the pacer finding form of old, work he has done in combination with bowling coach David Saker

The basics worked well for Australia - highlighted by two stunning pieces of fielding - after India gifted them a head start

Channel 7 said the idea was to have players or coaches speaking with commentators such as Ricky Ponting, either on the sidelines or through an earpiece

Over the years, it's been a contest marked by fiery exchanges but Virat Kohli and Tim Paine seemed to suggest the focus would be more on bat v ball this time

The allrounder has been sent back to Shield cricket to find some form with Tim Paine expecting him to be needed later in the series

Moving away from a roster full of former players, the new broadcasters of the game down under want to bring in a conversational style of coverage

Australia's vice-captain hopes to draw inspiration from his performance at last year's Ashes to get out of a horrendous recent patch

Arsalan Khawaja charged with attempting to pervert justice, and forgery, by making a false document

Jones said there was 'nothing left for me to do in cricket' after being overlooked for the CA position and helping get NSW cricket back on track