India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
'Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans' eyes, but please don't twist things or create narratives that aren't even close to the truth.'
Test skipper Shubman Gill was on Thursday named captain of the North Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, beginning August 28, less than three weeks after he led a young Indian side to a thrilling 2-2 draw against England in a gruelling five-Test series.
After a cautious start, Crawley and Duckett punished the straying Indian bowlers with an array of crisp boundaries. The pair blunted the new ball and raced to 77 without loss at tea.
Shreyas Iyer has been named captain of the India A squad for the upcoming three-match one-day series against Australia A, starting September 30 in Kanpur.
Handed the reins of a depleted Indian side in his maiden stint as Test captain, the 24-year-old has been tasked with breaking a 17-year drought without the experience of Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli by his side.
Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against England due to a knee injury.
England Lions were 192 for 3 in 46 overs in reply to India A's 348 at stumps on the second day of their second unofficial Test, in Northampton on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer's 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
Narayan Jagadeesan missed out on a well deserved double hundred by three runs as South Zone reached an imposing first innings score of 536
Here's a roundup of all Ranji Trophy matches played on Day 1 on Wednesday.
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.
One of the standout performers in the recent Test series against England, India pacer Prasidh Krishna has opened up about his on-field exchange with Joe Root during the fifth and final Test at The Oval, saying he did not understand why the senior batter reacted in am extreme manner.
Haryana will meet the winners of the second semi-final between Rajasthan and Karnataka to be played in Rajkot on Thursday.
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.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said India may have missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav at Lord's and Manchester, as quality spinners come to the fore on the last two days of a Test match.
Manjrekar labelled Akash's injury as a "glaring example" of the ongoing injury crisis among Indian seamers.
While the young Indian team showed great resolve to earn a creditable draw in England, the series exposed several weaknesses that need urgent attention.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel says managing the workload of fast bowlers in a five-Test series can be an issue right after an IPL season.
India stuck to their pre-series decision to field Bumrah in only three Tests and was hence not played in the final Test at the Oval
Reddy took Thakur's place in Birmingham after the first Test
Calling Kuldeep a world-class spinner, Morkel said India are trying to fit the wily operator into the side. He can now only play the last Test at The Oval from July 31.
Joe Root picked an easy single off Mohammed Siraj in the 58th over to take his score to 31, which also took his overall Test tally to 13290 runs.
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the fifth Test against England?
India pacer Mohammed Siraj on Monday confirmed Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the fourth Test beginning at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
'My son looks a little depressed, but that is bound to happen.'
Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev on Saturday said the England series will serve as a valuable learning experience for young India skipper Shubman Gill and urged critics to give him some time to grow into the leadership role.
Broken foot, unbroken in spirit: Pant gives update
Young speedster Harshit Rana, who was added as a cover to the Indian squad for the opening Test against England at Leeds, has been released by the team management on Wednesday.
India endured arguably their worst day on the field on Day 3 of the Manchester Test as Joe Root's record-breaking 150 put the hosts in complete command.
'Congratulations Joe Root, magnificent.'
With two days still to play, England are firm favourites to secure the win in Manchester, one that would seal victory in the five-match series with one test still to come.
Tom Haines smashed an unbeaten century to lead England Lions' strong reply after Karun Nair's double century had powered India A to a massive 557 on Day 2 of the first Unofficial Test.
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
With India conceding more than 600 runs for the first time since 2014, the case for including a wicket-taking spinner like Kuldeep Yadav is stronger than ever for the must-win fifth and final Test against England.
How the Indian players fared in the five-Test series in England.
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
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday
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