Sidharth Monga

From the bouncer that struck him on the badge of his helmet to the bouncer that dismissed him, Virat Kohli's century, and his duel with Mitchell Johnson, made for compelling human drama

Australia still had work to do when they began day two, but it all turned too easy for them as Michael Clarke and Steven Smith feasted on a choice selection of dropped catches, long-hops and length balls on the pads

India began with plans that were off, and continued with them for too long. To add to that, their fielding was lethargic in that first hour

In Adelaide, Virat Kohli will lead India for the first time in Tests, with the added pressure of a sensitive setting and the team's full-time captain at hand, but he is not shying away from any scrutiny

The first Test will be hard to play, but it must be played. It will be difficult to watch, but it must be watched. The first ball can't be bowled soon enough, though nobody can be quite prepared for it

The rescheduling of the first Test in Adelaide has given MS Dhoni five extra days to recover from a thumb injury, and he appeared just fine in his first training session on this tour of Australia

Ishant Sharma, who averages 73.54 in Australia, says he won't put added pressure on himself in the coming Test series and will try to keep his emotions in check to perform better

Michael Clarke joined the Australian team at training on Saturday morning, which has given them a boost in the lead-up to the first Test

Shaken by Phillip Hughes' death from being hit by a bouncer, bowlers from the Australian and Indian sides have made a conscious effort to bowl the short ball and get the hesitation out of their systems before the first Test begins

Back in training for the first time since the death of Phillip Hughes, Australia's players and staff made conscious attempts at fun and games, at bonding, at being there for each other

Attention finally turned to cricket in Australia, as the touring Indians resumed their preparations for the Test by bowling out Cricket Australia XI for 243 on pleasant sunny day in their final two-day tour game at the Glenelg Oval in Adelaide

Two thousand kilometres from the actual funeral service, many who could have watched it on TV at home showed up at the Adelaide Oval to bid Phillip Hughes farewell

Rascally, irritating, masters of bluster, geniuses: five Indian cricketers who could have been from across the border

The tragic death of its most famous resident has drawn an unfamiliar degree of attention to a 7000-strong town halfway between Sydney and Brisbane

Australian cricketers and the public are known for their certainty and clarity when it comes to cricket. That has gone missing as they struggle to come to terms with Phillip Hughes' death

The ICC has asked match officials to use their discretion to decide if the bowlers' pause before delivery is unfair play

The Duleep Trophy semi-finals, beginning on Wednesday in Rohtak and Mohali, are a golden opportunity for all the domestic openers around India

AV Jayaprakash, the former Test umpire, said India spinner Pragyan Ojha was reported by domestic umpires last year and subsequently cleared by the committee

The West Indians are in India but there has been absolutely no build-up to this series, such has been the glut of cricket since the IPL

West Indies will begin their third tour of India in as many years with a five-match ODI series, a format they like a little more than Tests