'It was good fun to be out there. It was great to bat with Roy. He gave me a lot of confidence and allowed me to just play the way I wanted to play'
The aim is to make a strong start on the final day and put India under pressure.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Friday.
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 4th Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite was again a gigantic roadblock that England could not dislodge as the second Test ended in a tense draw in Barbados on Sunday.
England have an overall lead of 136 runs without loss at stumps in their second innings going into Day 5 of the second Test against the West Indies.
With India tottering on 98 for 5 on Day 1 of the rescheduled fifth Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday, Rishabh Pant showed that he loves playing against England by registering his third century against them, his second in their backyard.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 2nd Test played between England and South Africa played in Old Trafford on Friday.
Zak Crawley (117) and Joe Root (84) scored freely for an unbeaten 193-run second-wicket partnership, pushing England to 217 for 1 in North Sound on the island of Antigua, where stumps were drawn early due to a late afternoon tropical downpour.
Bonner helped West Indies to a 62-run lead with a wicket in hand after Day 3 of the first Test against England
'You are going to face an England team where Joe Root is back to his absolute best, where Oliver Pope is playing his best-ever for England. Ben Stokes has amalgamated the team and got playing in an ultra-positive and rock and roll fashion.'
Anderson, who is recuperating from a right calf injury, will feature against Leicestershire in a three-day friendly match starting on Tuesday.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Bowling quicker in the air brought success to Monty Panesar in the 2012 tour of India but England left-arm spinner Jack Leach feels the same tactic may not work for him on his maiden series against the mighty batting line-up of the hosts.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Motera, Ahmedabad.
England's Jack Leach fell eight runs short of a maiden Test century as Ireland kept alive their victory hopes on the second day of their historic four-day Test, at Lord's.
Plucked from obscurity when called up by selectors on Christmas Eve, the 32-year-old Victoria paceman finished with outrageous innings figures of 6-7 in four overs, sending his home crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground into delirium.
It was a modest total but still way better than the visitors could have dreamed of when they were 114 for nine, after earlier being 67 for seven.
Centuries by West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood stymied a frustrated England on Day 3 of the second Test in Barbados on Friday. Their 183-run fourth-wicket stand lifted West Indies to 288 for four in their first innings, still 219 runs behind England at stumps.
Ben Stokes will play as a batsman only after injuring his shoulder at Old Trafford.
England fell short of victory as West Indies survived for a tense draw despite a top-order collapse on the final day of the first Test in North Sound on Saturday.
England skipper Joe Root said he feels like the spectators have almost been "robbed" as they came to watch to the stadium to watch Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma face the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad but instead watching him taking wickets.
Matthew Wade's defiant century proved in vain as England bowled Australia out for 263 to win the final Test at The Oval by 135 runs on Sunday and ensure the first drawn Ashes series since 1972.
England were left frustrated after a blunder by third umpire Anil Chaudhary denied them the wicket of India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and a DRS review.
A virgin Motera pitch has become the big talking point as captain Virat Kohli looks to get the combination right with India looking to continue their momentum to trouble England in the day-night third Test match, starting in Ahmedabad, on Wednesday.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 3rd Test played between England and New Zealand at Headingley on Sunday.
Leach was taken to the cleaners by Pant on the third afternoon of the first Test, but fought his way back to pick six wickets over the next two days
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Rishabh Pant scored a spectacular 101 as India ended Day 2 in the fourth Test against England on 294-7.
'We felt that seam isn't going to offer as much in terms of being a threat, it's more of a holding role.'
Captain Joe Root and Coach Chris Silverwood made a boo-boo when they picked a pace-heavy attack for the pink ball third Test.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has joined India counterpart Ravichandran Ashwin in defending Ahmedabad's spin-friendly pitch where India thumped England inside two days of the day-night third Test on Thursday.
India need a draw in the final Test, also in Ahmedabad from March 4, to reach the WTC final against New Zealand.
England named an unchanged squad for first match of the three-Test series against Pakistan that begins on August 5 in Manchester, the country's cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday. England beat West Indies 2-1 in the first international Test series since the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the sport in March, winning the third match by 269 runs on Tuesday.
While a draw always seems a safe option in a game like this but Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri wouldn't like to play a defensive game which at times can be counter-productive.
England lost all 10 wickets in their second innings to spinners, who bowled the lion's share of India's overs.
Joe Root admitted that Pant was a big factor in his side not declaring in their second innings even after the lead crossed the 400-run mark.
'James Anderson was unavailable for selection in the Test squad as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury,' the ECB said in a statement.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances