Indian cricket fans and pundits heaped praise on stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday, but questioned the future of several veteran players after their team lost 3-1 to Australia in a gripping five-Test series.

Stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah said it was frustrating that he missed the crunch finale to their Test series against Australia Sunday, but said he was buoyed by what he saw from India.

India coach Gautam Gambhir said veteran batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still have a future in the team if they want it, despite disappointing returns on the Test tour of Australia.

An explosive Rishabh Pant slammed the second fastest Indian Test half-century  Saturday to drive his team to a 145-run lead with four wickets left after an intense day two of the decisive fifth Test against Australia.

A draw in Sydney would be enough for Australia to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy contested between the nations, which India, winners of the last four series, have long held.

Australia captain Pat Cummins and fellow pacer Scott Boland finished with three wickets apiece, with spinner Nathan Lyon chipping in two on a dramatic final day which was tinged with controversy over the use of the Decision Review System (DRS).

Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a defiant maiden century on Saturday as India fought back to reach 358-9 on a rain-hit third day of the fourth Test against Australia.

Sam Konstas does not yet know whether he will make his debut in the cauldron of the fourth Test against India on Thursday but the Australian teenager says some advice from former opener Shane Watson will hold him in good stead if he does.

Dumped opener Nathan McSweeney said he was "devastated" Saturday after being cast out of Australia's team after just three Tests against India but vowed to come back a better player.

India's Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep pulled off an unlikely 10th-wicket partnership on Tuesday to avoid the follow-on and put the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on course for a draw.

Australia pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the rest of the India Test series after injuring his right calf during his warm-up before play in Brisbane Tuesday.

Needing 245 to avoid the follow-on, India lost wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant during a stop-start session in which only 6.5 overs were bowled because of three rain delays.

Play was abandoned on the first day of the third Test between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane after rain fell for much of Saturday.

Travis Head blazed a sparkling 140 before Australia demolished India's top order to close in on victory in the day-night second Test on Saturday.

Travis Head blazed a sparkling 140 as Australia seized control of the day-night second Test against India, getting all out for 337 on day two in Adelaide on Saturday, building a 157-run lead after the first innings.

After fixating obsessively over one spot in the batting order for the best part of the spring, Australia's media pundits and cricket fans have been handed a plethora of talking points by the abject defeat in the first Test against India.

Yashasvi Jaiswal hit a composed unbeaten 90 and KL Rahul a stylish 62 Saturday as India built an ominous 218-run lead over Australia to take a stranglehold on the opening Test in Perth.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul shared an unbeaten opening partnership of 84 Saturday as India built a 130-run lead over Australia to seize control at tea on day two of the first Test in Perth.

Some of the most competitive clashes have come since they began contesting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy -- named after the first two batsmen to pass 10,000 runs -- in the 1996-97 season.

Where David Warner launched himself into Australia's Test team with a barrage of power hitting in limited overs cricket, Nathan McSweeney has followed a more conventional path in succeeding the retired opener.