Urges others to step up in the all-rounder's absence
Jonny Bairstow has been rested and injured pacer Jofra Archer was left out while spinner Moeen Ali was unavailable for Test selection.
'We know what we need to focus on and we take a collective decision as a group. Everyone is happy with the win. It gives us more motivation to win the next Test. We have the belief, we are just looking forward to the opportunities. The fans have been amazing as well'
'Even scorecards in T20 matches read better than the one we saw in Ahmedabad.'
The novel coronavirus shutdown has allowed cricketers to recharge their batteries and could help prolong their careers by a few years, England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler said. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last month extended the suspension of the professional game in the country until July 1 and Buttler believes the extended break will prove beneficial in the long run.
The hosts finished day two on 54-1 for an overall lead of 249 runs on a deteriorating track.
Influenza has ravaged England with several players and staff taken ill since arriving on Dec. 14.
Jonny Bairstow was selected to play as a specialist batsman in England's fourth Test against India even though he fractured a finger while keeping wicket in the third-Test loss.
Rishabh Pant and Cheteshwar Pujara forged the only century-plus partnership of the innings but India still finished the day 321 behind.
England skipper Joe Root has backed James Anderson to hit peak form again, saying on Wednesday that the pace bowler's spot in the team is not in question ahead of the second Test against Pakistan starting on Thursday.
England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler said on Saturday he had been stressing about his lack of Test runs and feeling the pressure of mounting speculation about his place in the team. Buttler has a reputation as a swashbuckling batsman in the limited over games but had averaged only 18 runs in his last seven Tests since replacing Jonny Bairstow as wicketkeeper in New Zealand last November.
All-rounder Ben Stokes returns to England's squad for the first two Tests against India next month after he missed the two-match series against New Zealand in June following a finger injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League earlier this year.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
The ball moved enough in last week's Southampton Test between England and West Indies to erase any lingering doubt about swing bowling under cricket's COVID-19 protocols, manufacturer of the Dukes ball said.
The hosts ended the day on 144-4 and Henry Nicholls (26) and BJ Watling (six) will resume in Mt. Maunganui on Saturday to try and eat into their 209-run deficit after England were dismissed for 353 after lunch on Friday.
England's selectors are acutely aware of the impact on players of bio-secure bubbles and with a demanding year ahead, are making sure they protect their key performers.
Pant is also the first Asian wicket-keeper to take five catches in an innings on Test debut.
The batting legend believes that throwing a young cricketer to the deep end of the pool is a good thing.
Images from Day 4 of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's in London on Saturday.
Buoyed by their crushing 157-run victory in the fourth Test at The Oval on Monday, a confident Indian team will seek to continue their winning momentum in the fifth and final Test against England at Manchester.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
India need one more wicket to thrash England in the third Test at Trent Bridge after the hosts ended the fourth day on 311 for nine, 210 runs short of their target.
Jimmy Anderson showed he remains a deadly proposition in English conditions, taking 5-20, as England bowled out India for a miserly 107 on the second day of the second Test at Lord's, on Friday.
Ollie Pope was in awe of Kohli's batting technique
In the bowling department, pacer Mohammad Abbas (13th) and experienced leg-spinner Yasir Shah (24th), who have in the past, been ranked third and first, respectively, and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (32nd) are other Pakistan players to watch.
Another England bowler to advance in the rankings was Chris Woakes, whose five-wicket haul in the second innings lifted him to 20th position and a career-best rating points tally of 654.
'There is no need to force it but if we keep it tight in the morning session, I believe the pressure will bring some rewards.'
Team combination a worry for India
England all-rounder Ben Stokes revealed that he and his teammates endured sudden weight loss during the fourth and final Test against India in Ahmedabad after a stomach illness hit the tourists before the match.
However, with six back-to-back Tests against the Windies and Pakistan, the rotation policy could be used to keep the paces fresh.
The fifth One-day International between India Under-19 and their English counterparts ended in a spectacular tie after the hosts lost their final wicket on the last ball of the match at the Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai, on Wednesday.
Images from Day 5 of the second Test between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Tuesday.
England's hard-earned Test series wins over the summer with a blend of youth and experience show the side's drive to be the number one team in the world, according to captain Joe Root. England beat the West Indies 2-1 and Pakistan 1-0 in a rain-hit series which, coupled with their success in South Africa at the start of the year, continue an upward trajectory with new players in the team.
With 794 points, pacer Jasprit Bumrah was the top-ranked Indian bowler at sixth place, while Kohli was the top-ranked batsmen.
Images from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between England and New Zealand played at Edgbaston on Saturday
'I don't think I have ever been a part of such a Test match where things have happened so quickly.'
A concussed Smith was ruled out of the third Test, starting at Headingley on Thursday, after being struck in the neck by a vicious bouncer from England paceman Jofra Archer.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan on Thursday termed the non-selection of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the Indian lineup as "madness". "The non selection of @ashwinravi99 has to be greatest NON selection we have ever witnessed across 4 Tests in the UK !!! 413 Test wickets & 5 Test 100s !!!! #ENGvIND Madness," tweeted Vaughan.
Axar Patel claimed a career-best 6-38 as India bundled out England for 112 on Day 1
Michael Vaughan backs Dom Sibley after his slow century invites criticism
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