Stokes, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 scalps, will be a mere spectator at The Oval, robbing the series finale of his charismatic on-field presence.
Captain Shubman Gill and the ever-dependable K L Rahul gave India a glimmer of hope with resilient half-centuries after a well crafted hundred from Ben Stokes extended England's supremacy in the fourth Test in Manchester on Saturday.
England have named two uncapped players in Essex duo Sam Cook and Jordan Cox in the squad for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge later this month.
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will aim to turn their fortunes around at home when they face a struggling Rajasthan Royals on Thursday in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
Jofra Archer, after disappointing outings in the first two matches, bowled with great pace and accuracy and put the opposition on the back foot right from the word go.
With just two wins from seven games, the Royals, languishing at eighth on the table, come into the contest on the back of a gut-wrenching Super Over defeat to Delhi Capitals.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's three best performing players in all the 17 IPLs (2008-2024).
Sai Sudharsan made the opportunity count in his comeback game with a fifty while Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as India played the old-fashioned way to reach 264 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
England are set to host Australia for three Twenty20s, followed by a five-match ODI series. The first ODI will take place on September 19 at Trent Bridge.
Delhi Capitals looked like a well-oiled machine with four wins in a row before a stunning batting meltdown against Mumbai Indians halted their momentum.
Sanju Samson is set to return as Rajasthan Royals captain after receiving clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to keep wickets in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Across five fiercely contested Tests, more than 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries. Every match stretched into a gripping fifth day. The sun shone, the stands were full, and the cricket -- emotional, enthralling, and endlessly unpredictable -- captured imaginations around the world.
Samson had new batting batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and throwdown specialists for company.
'From what I've heard, England have had just one net session this entire trip, if not any. If you're not prepared to do the hard yards, you're not going to improve.'
Punjab Kings skipper Shreyas Iyer hailed Priyansh Arya's sensational maiden IPL century, praising his fearless approach and highlighting the young opener's transformation from being 'timid' in the previous game
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Will Sai Sudarshan or Abhimanyu Easwaran bat at No. 3?
A magnificent fighting 95 from skipper Riyan Parag went in vain as defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) held their nerves to deny Rajasthan Royals (RR) a win, leaving them one run short at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the fifth Test against England?
Sanju Samson fractures index finger, out of action for five to six weeks
With over 500 runs, six crucial catches, the most by an Indian on the tour, Rahul led by example and lived up to his wiseman tag.
The common theme in their opening game defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
The third Test at Lord's could well be the series' turning point. This isn't just about team combinations or tactical tweaks anymore. The pitch has emerged as a defining factor -- one that could tilt the balance of power in a contest hanging delicately at 1-1.
The common theme in those defeats was how the seemingly powerful batting and bowling units of KKR and RR failed to fire.
'Tilak Varma is the next BIG thing in Indian Cricket. Wow! What an incredible match-winning innings!'
K L Rahul would look to make the most of his first red-ball outing in months ahead of the upcoming Test series against England.
While Abhishek Sharma's explosive century stole the headlines, Samson's replacement by Dhruv Jurel raised questions about his availability.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has returned to the team after recovering from a finger surgery he underwent last month. .
Rajasthan Royals face a tough challenge against a marauding Punjab Kings batting lineup, led by in-form Shreyas Iyer.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday
England pacer Brydon Carse is expecting the transitioning Indian team to put up a strong fight in the five-match Test series despite the recent retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, thanks to their "huge depth".
To say the least, a relatively inexperienced batting line up led by Shubman Gill would be relieved to see the name of James Anderson
Riding high on their new-found confidence, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be hoping to finally get it right at home and keep their play-off hopes alive when they take on a struggling Rajasthan Royals in their IPL match in Kolkata on Sunday.
India will ponder whether they want to include Washington Sundar, who is quite handy with the bat or Kuldeep Yadav, who is a much better wicket-taking option.
Sai Sudharsan's classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals.
Tilak Varma's "mature" unbeaten 72 was the difference between India and England in the second T20I here, reckoned visitors's pace bowling all-rounder Brydon Carse.
Since Suryakumar took over as captain last year, India have hardly put a wrong but his own form has dipped.
It would be unfair for England selectors to ask any player to make way for the uncapped all-rounder Jofra Archer in the World Cup squad.
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