Good Week For...

Domestic Talent
The announcement of South Africa's limited-overs squad brought the return of Justin Ontong and the promotion of Richard Levi this week. By account of their form for the Cobras in the 1-Day Cup, the duo thoroughly deserve the recognition.

As was the case with Vernon Philander in November, when a slew of sound performances in the four-day competition afforded the seamer graduation against Australia, Ontong re-enters the fold on the back of 364 runs in nine innings at the average of 72.80 this domestic season.

The spinning all-rounder finds himself in the T20I unit to take on the Kiwis too, as does Levi, who will open the batting alongside Hashim Amla now that Graeme Smith has been removed from the shortest format of the international game.

Picked for the squad but not any of the starting XIs against the Aussies last year, the talented Levi's chance is long overdue, delayed only by Smith's rogue insistence that he could make the grade in Twenty20 cricket.

Meanwhile, JP Duminy's solidity on the provincial front has him back in the Test fold, with Ashwell Prince relegated to domestic contender. Prince has been here before. Dropped and recalled in the past, he'll relish the need to prove his mettle again before it comes time to picking the party for the England tour.

While the South African selection panel are a far cry from consistently orchestrating the sort of revolution their Australian counterparts have become accustomed to, they've at least moved on from merely dipping into the convenient egg basket at hand.

The Australians continue to show that talent from the franchises deserve regard, as the elevation of the uncapped George Bailey to the captaincy and the recall of the in-form Brad Hogg regardless of his 40 years of age will attest to.

Dean Elgar, Dane Vilas, Stephen Cook, Daryn Smit and like will trust in the South African management for the same in due course.

Ricky Ponting
Two months ago it looked like he'd never be allowed the chance to get there and, if given an extended stay, take more time than is reasonable to reach 13,000 Test runs.

Adelaide's double-century, though, saw the veteran right-hander reach the milestone and then some, making him only the third man - and the first Australian - to reach such lofty heights.

Under equal, if not more pressure to justify their place in the ranks, India's under-fire stalwarts have crumbled entirely. Ponting, however, rode the storm to its fullest extent and is again undroppable. Walking the talk throughout, the former captain's integrity and follow-through is untouched on the world stage, with the future of the Australian Test team in good hands thanks to Ponting's ability to rise above his doubters.

Bad Week For...

The Marsh Family
September 2011 saw Geoff Marsh in Sri Lanka to watch his son, Shaun, makes his Test debut in emphatic fashion.

The talented left-hander, filling in for the absent Ricky Ponting, obliged his father's visit to the tune of a sparkling century. Joining the likes of Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Mark Waugh to land a ton in their first Test outing for Australia, Shaun had pretty much sealed his berth for the foreseeable future, even with the return of Ponting. Usman Khawaja begrudgingly made way.

Father Geoff's agenda wasn't entirely paternal, though, with the former Australian Zimbabwe coach in the country to discuss a potential role with Sri Lanka. A couple of days later, he was named Trevor Bayliss' full-time successor, relieving the team of Stuart Law and Rumesh Ratnayake's interim posts.

Less than six months down the line, the older Marsh is out of a job and the younger one is on the brink of dismissal.

Sri Lanka Cricket, for all its decrepit management and questionable selection, have tossed Geoff out in the wake of series losses to Pakistan and South Africa, while Shaun's days in the Test lineup are surely numbered.

With a ludicrously low 17 runs to show for his last seven innings, including four ducks, the 28-year-old can no longer hide behind his promise. His delivery in Sri Lanka has quickly taken a back seat to a sever lack thereof in South Africa and Australia, where fast, bouncy conditions are supposed to suit his style of play. A blossoming Ed Cowan and the impending return of Shane Watson add to Marsh's worries of being dropped.

Both Marshs will be able to keep their pockets full in the forthcoming Indian Premier League, no doubt, with Geoff perhaps able to resurrect his ties with the Pune Warriors and Shaun's relationship with the Kings XI Punjab there to be built on. As for their international aspirations, well, those certainly hang in the balance now.

Sportsmanship
Scoring a century is meant to be a moment for joyous celebration, but upon reaching his maiden Test ton in Adelaide, the sight of three figures sparked rage on the face of Virat Kohli. The fiery Indian batsman looked at the camera and clearly mouthed a Hindi expletive - likely dedicated at the Australian players.

Perhaps it started when Kohli 'flipped the bird' to the Sydney crowd in the second Test, but the tensions have been brewing all series to the point that the sledging has once again become a talking point in an Australia versus India series. After being docked 50 percent of his match fee for his indiscretion, Kohli made sure - via Twitter - that it be known that the crowd provoked him.

Peter Siddle has been very vocal in Adelaide this week, Ishant Sharma has complained about being abused by the Australian public, Brad Haddin and Zaheer Khan have exchanged stories and Kohli received an unpleasant send-off when he was dismissed in the second innings.

There's always room for good, old fashioned aggression, but it seems with the numerous exchanges between players being picked up on the pitch and the abundant anger, that sportsmanship has taken on a new meaning - or at least just a back seat - for certain players.

India
The series is at its end and a second whitewash in as many years a near certainty, leaving India with some big decisions regarding their veteran batsmen.

Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide were feasible platforms to stave off the inevitable, papering over VVS Laxman's and company's lack of performance with various defences, but really, now is the time of the reckoning.

India have the ODI tri-series with Australia and Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup and then the World Twenty20 to salvage some sort of limited-overs consolation. Thereafter, though, the Test unit needs severe consideration. The hefty nature of their defeats Down Under mean that, more than ever, there is no longer room for sentiment. Past glories are history, the here and now is what's important. The Virat Kohlis, Suresh Rainas and Rohit Sharmas of the nation will know that full-time berths have never been closer.