As India gear up for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, former captain Ajinkya Rahane has raised a tactical alarm: the team's all-rounder-heavy approach might be hurting their chances.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between England and India at Edgbaston, in Birmingham, on Saturday.
Walking out with intent and flair, the wicketkeeper-batter smashed a quickfire 51 off just 56 deliveries in the morning session, propelling England to a strong 387.
Shubman Gill was "extremely proud" of the fight that his team put up after being down and out but rued the absence of one fifty partnership and Rishabh Pant's first innings run-out in their 22-run defeat against England in the third Test at the Lord's.
'For us, and for Indian Test cricket going into the future, this will rank right at the top.'
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.
Ajinkya Rahane is backing the flamboyant Yashasvi Jaiswal to shine on the tour of England thanks to his ability to perform multiple roles as opener.
Azharuddin also highlighted the expected positive impact of Jasprit Bumrah's return, stating that India's bowling attack is currently superior to England's.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan feels Zak Crawley's time-wasting tactics at the end of the third day in the ongoing third Test was "as good a piece" he has ever seen, but said India can't complain as the visitors employed the same approach on the second day at Lord's.
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
Stokes, 34, underwent a successful operation on as torn hamstring in December followed by a rigorous physical fitness programme during which he lost 10 kilograms in weight.
Maybe Shubman Gill didn't want Shardul Thakur , wanted Kuldeep Yadav: Sunil Gavaskar questions captain's say in XI
The series, to commence on June 20, will be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
Led by Shubman Gill, a defiant India put on a mentally strong and technically disciplined response to keep the series alive with England 2-1 up. While there were plenty of positives to take forward, a few concerns continue to linger as the series heads to a decider at The Oval.
He returned with figures of 4-22 in 12.1 overs to join an elite list comprising legends Vinoo Mankad, Bishan Singh Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan, who have taken four wickets or more at the iconic venue.
India may have made tactical errors, but former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the bigger culprit was the weather.
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
As India get set to take on England in a five-match Test series, starting in Leeds on June 20, a look at the upcoming milestone for their top players.
Lord's venue promises to be a cracker of a contest, especially with another round in the ongoing rivalry between two modern legends - Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah and England's star batter Joe Root.
India pacer Prasidh Krishna relished the banter with 'good mate' Joe Root on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test, and said riling up England's batting mainstay was part of the team's plans.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri cautioned against giving Jasprit Bumrah five Tests in a row in England.
'It's a different kind of satisfaction to get my best bowling figures in the IPL, especially on my home ground (Hyderabad).'
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.
India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the crow as Team India were hosted by the Indian High Commission in London on Monday
Opener Ben Duckett hit the most defining century of his career, exposing an out-of-depth Indian attack as England comfortably chased down a tricky target of 371 to win the opening Test by five wickets.
Glimpses from around the world that will make you smile and cry.
Team India wasted no time in getting their preparations underway as they kicked off their first training session at Lord's a few hours after their arrival in London on Saturday.
The Indian men's and women's cricket teams, led by captains Shubman Gill and Harmanpreet Kaur, met King Charles III, at St. James's Palace.
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.
'He is one of the most valuable players in India.'
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Thursday.
England's right-handed batter Harry Brook has replaced his teammate Joe Root to reclaim the No. 1 Test batter's position in the world
After a poor show by the lower-order batters in the first Leeds Test, Team India scripted a memorable comeback at Birmingham - one for the history books
'Bring the deficit down to about 60 and then take it 10 runs at a time.'
England have requested a pitch with 'plenty of life in it' as they look to unleash returning pacers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson in the third Test against India at Lord's.
With the series now level and momentum on India's side, Gill will be hoping the belief, resilience and unity on display in Birmingham will carry through to the remaining three Tests.
The usually mobbed Indian cricket team likes training in a relaxed atmosphere and that was evident in their body language as the players went about their business in their only practice session at the Kent County Cricket Ground before the fourth Test in Manchester.
The change in Mohammed Siraj's fortunes has played a critical role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's late surge in IPL 2024, and the pacer's good run might also have put the Indian thinktank at ease ahead of next month's T20 World Cup.
'When your coach is backing you so strongly, it builds inner belief -- and that showed on the field.'
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