The Insider

He embraced the current practice of playing an all-out aggressive game without sacrificing the strong technique he grew up with

The Australian captain is considered world-class against spin, but his numbers in Asia suggest he has some chinks in his armour

What makes this innocuous-seeming bowler so difficult to handle?

Was the England captain's slump in form brought on by issues of technique or by a cluttered mind?

The lack of a backlift restricts the Australian opener's range of strokes, especially the drive, but he has managed to use his limitations to his advantage

India's leading offspinner of the 2000s fell away because of his tendency to overuse the doosra. Can he make enough of an impact in Bangladesh?

As a batsman, he's bent on taking the fight to the opposition, and it's much the same with his captaincy

They create awkward angles for right-hand batsmen and can use the threat of the incoming delivery, which help keep the batsmen quiet

His still head and ability to maintain a low centre of gravity help him to pull off the shots he does

His amazing bat speed helps make up for a minor technical quirk

They prefer to mostly stay in the crease, even to spinners, and don't seem to know how to pace an innings when batting first

Like many other destructive batsmen, he has quick hands. Unlike them, he plays the field set for him, not the bowler

A lot of batsmen nowadays take blows to the head or body because they commit too early on the front foot when they should be focusing on going deeper in the crease

He has made over 500 runs in the three Tests so far, but he isn't quite invincible

The Indian opener does not play the horizontal-bat shots, but he has a good record in Australia regardless

If he shows the discipline he did in England, resisting the temptation to drive full deliveries outside off, he could get a maiden Test hundred in Australia

The batsman needs to make a minor adjustment in getting his upper body to move in the direction of the ball, especially if it swings away

Why the Indian opener would be well advised to shelve the hook and pull in Australia

Shorter tours don't allow you time to get into form, and domestic cricket isn't demanding enough

Johnson has picked up his pace, and his bounce and late movement have got batsmen wary too