Quarantine restrictions might hamper the Indian team's preparations for next month's ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand but bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar feel that the players' abundant experience will be enough to counter that challenge.
India will hope the return of regular captain Virat Kohli proves to be the difference for the hosts against New Zealand when the world's two top-ranked Test sides clash in the second and final match at the Wankhede Stadium from Friday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 3rd Test played between England and Pakistan at the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Monday.
England have named uncapped seam bowler Ollie Robinson in their 14-man squad to replace all-rounder Ben Stokes for the second Test against Pakistan starting on Thursday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday.
England batsman Zak Crawley had a nagging feeling early in his innings that a hundred was on the cards before he powered on to realise his dream of a first Test century with a sparkling unbeaten 171 against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl on Friday.
'They have got tremendous depth in their squad, the big guns are back and they are a quality outfit under the leadership of Virat Kohli.'
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe was recalled to the England squad at the age of 34 on Thursday ahead of next week's friendly in Germany and a World Cup qualifier at home to Lithuania.
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin revealed he had given serious thought about retiring after the England series in 2018 as he felt he was not being adequately backed despite being a proven match-winner for the Indian team.
Pakistan middle-order batsman Mohammad Rizwan hit a defiant half century on a difficult batting pitch to guide his side past the 200-mark in their first innings and frustrate England in the second Test on Friday.
Kane Williamson is aware that spin is a "big component" in a Test series in India and expects his specialist slow bowlers -- left-arm orthodox Ajaz Patel and off-spinner William Somerville -- to adapt to the conditions quickly and make a difference.
Pakistan opener Abid Ali scored a half-century but England's seam bowlers used the muggy conditions to their advantage to restrict the tourists to 126 for five at the close of a rain-hit opening day of the second Test at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
India will be without captain and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who decided to skip the first of the two Tests, while batter Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will miss both matches.
The television rights in the UK for England's tour of India remain undecided with just a week left for the opening Test match in Chennai from February 5.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday all of its home-based players heading to England for a two-match Test series and the World Test Championship final have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Parthiv Patel gave his views on on what the World Test Championship title would mean for Virat Kohli.
Before heading to Australia for the Ashes in the winter, England play seven Tests at home against New Zealand and India this summer.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Leicester City reached the FA Cup final for the first time in more than 50 years
Ben Stokes, who missed England's final two Test matches against Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton earlier this month, travelled to New Zealand citing family reasons.
A round-up of Saturday's action in the Premier League.
Liverpool will resume their quest for a first top-flight title in 30 years at city rivals Everton on June 21, as the English Premier League released its revised fixture list for the first three weeks of the restarted season on Friday. Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top and are two victories away from winning the Premier League, but will have a shot at securing the title by beating Everton if City lose to Arsenal.
Fast-bowling great Richard Hadlee expects swing bowlers to dominate the final of the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) between India and New Zealand in Southampton next month.
The Scottish broadcaster said Murray was self-isolating and still had hopes of competing in the Australian Open next month.
IMAGES from Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Ganguly will create his own fantasy team for each of the three matches and lock horns with cricket enthusiasts from all over India as part of the 'Beat the Expert' contest.
Roberto Firmino's 90th-minute header sent Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, whose 11-match unbeaten run came to an end on Wednesday.
West Indies' splendid victory over England in the first Test in Southampton drew rich praise from around the cricketing world, including top players like Virat Kohli and former greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Vivian Richards. West Indies beat England by four wickets on the final day of the first international Test since the coronavirus break on Sunday, taking a 1-0 lead at the Ageas Bowl in a three-Test series thanks to a 95-run knock by Jermaine Blackwood.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
James Anderson claimed his fifth wicket as England enforced the follow-on against Pakistan on the third day of the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, despite a battling century by visiting skipper Azhar Ali.
Manchester United climbed two places up to second in the Premier League after Marcus Rashford scored deep into stoppage time to give them a fortuitous 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday.
India captain Virat Kohli said confining players to 'bubbles' for months on end is not sustainable and the game has to consider scheduling changes to reduce the mental toll tours are taking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brighton & Hove Albion scored three times in the second half to fight back from two goals down and beat Manchester City
Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne and Scott Kuggeleijn, coaches and former players James Pamment and Shane Bond, Mike Hesson were the first to land in Auckland
A preview of the line-up action in the English Premier League.
A brilliant performance by New Zealand's seamers and a composed run chase by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensured the Black Caps made history by beating India to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
India's fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar ruled out the possibility of a change in the playing XI after the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand was washed out.
India go with Ashwin and Jadeja with three seamers for WTC final
Manchester City beat bottom club Sheffield United 1-0 to move three points clear of Manchester United who were held to a goalless draw at Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
India lead the table with 360 points and Australia are placed second with 296 points.
Everton secured their English Premier League status as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored five minutes from time to snatch a thrilling 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace after they rallied from two goals down at a rocking Goodison Park on Thursday.
