Shubman Gill's coin toss woes continued on Wednesday as the India skipper lost his fourth straight toss in the ongoing Test series against England -- extending India's incredible run of 14 consecutive toss defeats across formats in international cricket.
England were comfortably placed at 225 for two at stumps after bowling out India for 358 on the second day of the fourth Test in Manchester on Thursday.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
With the series nicely poised at 1-1 going into the third Test, the narrative built around both the teams has changed significantly following India's 336-run routing of England at Edgbaston.
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The marquee contest will witness an engrossing tussle for supremacy between two battle-hardened all-rounders: Jadeja, India's man for all seasons, and England's superstar Ben Stokes, who has been the face of a defining era for the Three Lions.
England Test captain Ben Stokes hopes he can become a dominant force with both bat and ball again when the all-rounder returns from hamstring surgery.
It is understood that Rajasthan Royals will 'wait' for Stokes to get back to the management and only if the cricketer confirms his availability for the second half, it will take things forward.
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.
Sudharsan made the most of the 'life' and went on to score a patient 50, his maiden Test half-century.
Stokes admitted that the aggression from the Indian players added some adrenalin into his side.
Gill and Jaiswal centuries put India in control of series opener against England
In a moment of poor judgment, Pant tapped the ball towards Ben Stokes at cover and set off for a non-existent single-only to be run out, leaving India at 248 for 5.
While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
Shubman Gill was inspirational both as a batter and skipper, as he led from the front with four hundreds amassing 754 runs in the five-match Test series in England.
He successfully took a stunner to dismiss Karun Nair to complete his 211th catch, surpassing Dravid's tally of 210. Former Sri Lanka star Mahela Jayawardene slipped to the third spot with 205 catches.
The five-match Test series against India at home will be a massive Test for England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Joe Root declared that it is his time to pay back Test skipper Ben Stokes, who did so much for him while serving as his deputy during his captaincy tenure that lasted from 2017 to 2022.
'I'm proud of my Indian connection. Why shouldn't I be?'
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.
England have only drawn one from 35 Tests in the McCullum-Stokes regime, with one of their exhilarating run chases in that spell coming when they reached 378 against India in 2022 -- the only time India have lost when defending Test totals of more than 350.
'We all know what Stokes is capable of, but it's great to have your leader being able to grab the ball like that and showing you the way sometimes.'
Ben Stokes thrives on his battles with some of the sport's most competitive players as it tends to bring out the best in the feisty England all-rounder, who is hoping to recover quickly from his nightmare end to the World Twenty20 tournament.
India's Bumrah produced a devastating spell in the morning, dismissing Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Chris Woakes before Archer struck with his third delivery to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first test for four years.
England captain Ben Stokes said fast bowler Jofra Archer is 100 percent ready to play his first Test since February 2021.
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson returned to England Test set up after a gap of eight years, replacing injured Shoaib Bashir in the squad for the fourth Test against India.
England stayed calm under intense pressure to beat India by 22 runs on a final day of simmering tension and drama in the third Test at Lord's on Monday and move 2-1 up in the series.
England batter Joe Root said his experience of 158 Tests makes him better equipped than ever to end a victory drought in Australia, as he ramps up preparations for the upcoming Ashes series.
Pant equals Sehwag's six-hitting record, surpasses Rohit Sharma in WTC Test runs
Fired-up England reduced India to 58/4 chasing 193 for victory in a highly-charged final session on day four on Sunday as a gripping third Test at Lord's.
India and England came together to honour the victims of the tragic Ahmedabad air disaster, paying tribute with a minute's silence and black armbands in a show of shared grief and solidarity.
Jofra Archer has not featured in a Test since 2021 and was recently included in the England squad for the second Test after playing a four-day Country game for Sussex.
