'We've got some solid batsmen in the dressing room. And yeah, it's exciting in every way.'
A 2-2 series result seems fair, for a 1-3 loss would have been cruelly unjust --- especially to Siraj, who bowled 185.3 overs in the series for 23 wickets and never seemed to give up belief.
'We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body's at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad.'
India lost their openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and K L Rahul on a green top but did well to reach 72 for two at lunch on Day 1 of the series-deciding fifth Test against England at The Oval, London, on Thursday.
Former all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind young Washington Sundar to be a 'genuine all-rounder for many, many years for India'.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was "disappointed" on missing a century by a whisker, but amazed by Test captain Shubman Gill's "incredible" effort that powered India to a comfortable position at the end of the opening day of the second Test against England, at Edgbaston, on Wednesday.
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.
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
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 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
Lord's has a tradition of rewarding those who give their best, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Friday.
I expected seam and swing in England but on tracks like these only discipline helps: Akash Deep
West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran was named the 'Leading T20 Player in the World'.
India equal England's first-innings score of 387 with Test in balance
'His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.'
Stokes praises incredibly skillful Akash Deep, says task was to bat out 80 overs
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.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
An injury-plagued India could be forced to depart from their preferred template when they takes on a reinvigorated England in the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday.
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.
Root surpassed 7000 runs in ODIs and also went past Eoin Morgan to become England's leading ODI run-scorer.
British media reports said all 10 English players involved with the IPL will hold a meeting with the Professional Cricketers' Association over security arrangements for a potential return to India.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the fifth Test against England?
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.
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.
Beleaguered India seamer Prasidh Krishna has taken "complete responsibility" for his failure to hit the right lengths during a forgettable outing in the first Test against England, but said he was always trying to make it difficult for the English batters to score freely.
Gill earns glory with maiden double hundred, puts India on top in second Test
Gill second successive ton as skipper takes India to 310 for 5
Alex Carey's jaw-dropping catch, which led to Phil Salt's dismissal. Was this the catch of the tournament?
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.
The record was previously held by West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran (592 runs in 20 matches).
It was the perfect start to Brook's reign as white ball captain as England recorded their second-largest win in terms of runs, second only to the 242-run thrashing of Australia in 2018.
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
England secured a 26-run victory over India in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday to stay alive in the five-match series.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
Joe Root returned to England's one-day international squad for the first time since their ill-fated World Cup title defence in November
This was India's seventh defeat in their last nine matches as their poor run in Test cricket continues following successive series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia.
Both teams have struggled in the ODI format recently. World champions Australia lost to Sri Lanka (0-2) and Pakistan (1-2) in their last two series, while England, now coached by Brendon McCullum in all formats, haven't won an ODI series since their disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign.
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