And that brings us to the end of an eventful India v England 2008 series. A very close series it may not have been between the two teams on the field, but not so in the race for the fantasy standings. Shown below are the top 3 fantasy team managers and teams for the series. Congratulations Guys and, as I've often requested, I urge you to share some of your fantasy picking secrets with us. Until the next series, thank you for playing and contributing to a most exciting fantasy series.

Top 3 managers, their teams and final points tally:
1. Rajeswaran_Super_Kings whenwilliwin2 with 8583 points
2. andysith Glorias light entertainers with 8349 points
3. hbkjj4u HBK11 with 8249 points

Before you ring in the changes for the second Test, make it a point to check out the series home. You'll find that Australia are likely to bring in a few new players to strengthen their bowling. They might even be tempted to rejig their batting. Injuries notwithstanding, the South Africans can be expected to stick to the winning combination. You have till December 25th before the traditional Boxing Day Test match kicks off the day after X'mas. As always, if you need any help, feel free to ask me. Adios.

India v England - Today's top 3
Apoc: Nebuchadnezzar: 2316
The_Hit_Squad: English Charm: 2162
coolsuhas: Humka yeh match jeetna hi hoga: 2158

New Zealand v West Indies - Today's top 3
parthii08: nzy: 1582
Ossieruledfootball: OSGOODWASGOOD: 1553
GilokingofSpain: Gayle Forcast: 1538

A quick piece of advise: Check out the top performers' teams because tomorrow is the last day of both Test matches. After that, it'll be time once again to ring in the transfers. So a few tips from the leading teams will prove quite useful.

Speaking of the top fantasy team managers, only Apoc has managed to hold his, or her, place at the top of the Test match standings. Obviously, he, or she, got pretty lucky. If you ask me, luck, more than anything else, plays a massive role in fantasy cricket.

As always, feel free to disagree with me. (At your own peril.)

a. Form is temporary class is permanent: For those who still aren't quite sure what this hoary old cliche means, it means that while it's all very fine to pick on form, and very sensible too, you'd be well advised not to ignore the greats, even if they don't happen to be in great nick. Hint: Ricky Pointing, Matt Hayden and Brendon McCullum

b. Don't take your eye off the ball, and the series home page: Seeing the way players are being picked and discarded in these fickle times, if you don't make it a point to keep track of squad changes you're going to end up with a pretty useless fantasy team.

c. Form is temporary, temperament is permanent: This is a series between two sides that play an aggressive and, sometimes, brutal brand of cricket. Before you pick a guy for your fantasy team, make sure he's not the lily-livered, mentally fragile sort. He'll be of no use whatsoever to your fantasy team.

Well, that's it for now. Feel free to share your picks with me. That way, we'll have something interesting to talk about. And argue over. Adios and let's chat soon.

The squads for the two Tests to be played in Chennai and Mohali respectively have been announced today. It's time then to ring in the transfers. You've got till December 10th to finalise your fantasy teams. Good luck and do make it a point to check out the latest from the series home page. Adios.

PS: Keep in mind that England are a lot better at Test match cricket than ODIs. One thing for sure, the English bowlers will be a lot more effective in the longer version of the game. It's important that you factor that in when rejigging your fantasy teams.

This one is going to be a bowlers' series. At least, that's what I think. A dangerous and quite avoidable thing for someone like me to attempt, you might say. And I hear you. Still, it's an occupational hazard. So here goes.

Like said, I think it's going to be a bowlers' series. In New Zealand, most times it is. As any half-assed cricket writer worth his words will tell you, historically, seamers are the ones that have tended to do well in New Zealand. Batsmen who can play the moving ball too. So keep this in mind when you're picking your fantasy teams.

Going forward, it goes without saying that you've got to put your fantasy money on the players in form. So why say it at all. Because some of us just don't get it despite being told. That told, go back and take a look at the numbers each player returned in the series that preceded this one and you'll find the guys you should have in your fantasy teams for the first Test.

From there on, it's all down to actual performance. I know, it goes without saying. And yet, you now know why it needs to be said. Good luck. I hope these little tips, guidelines, clues ... call them what you want, have proved useful and will help you pick the right players for your fantasy teams. Another thing you will find useful when picking your fantasy team is the series home page. Make it a point to keep going back to it so you know who's in and who's not.

And yes, feel free to share your team with me. Who knows, I might be able to fine-tune it for you. Not that you should depend on my advise for anything. After all, I'm no hotshot fantasy manager; just a Community Manager trying to do the job of pointing you in the right direction. Adios.

A quick note to congratulate the leaders at the end of the Test matches of the fantasy edition of the Australia v New Zealand series. Those of you, including yours truly, who haven't got things quite so right, much like the Black Caps, might want to study how these top dogs have gone about the business of staying ahead of the pack. It might help us all, including New Zealand, return a better performance during the ODIs that are scheduled to start on February 1st next year.

Until then, both these teams take a break from each other to play a Test series with other nations (Australia against South Africa and New Zealand play West Indies). Of course, we'll have fantasy games for both these series. And you'll have something else to keep yourself occupied with before the Black Caps return to Australia for the ODIs. Thanks for playing with us so far and continue to watch this space for regular fantasy updates.