Former India batter Yuvraj Singh feels Shubman Gill's performance on the recent England tour was nothing short of unbelievable.
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
Mominul Haque was batting on 40 with Mushfiqur Rahim on six at the other end when bad light forced players off the pitch and rain followed soon after.
'You have the best fast bowler in the world and you make him sit out after seven days of rest. It is something very hard to believe.'
K L Rahul would look to make the most of his first red-ball outing in months ahead of the upcoming Test series against England.
Siraj now has 203 international wickets in 101 matches, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who had 201 wickets in his career.
India roared back into contention on an exhilarating day two of the fifth and final Test at The Oval on Friday as their seamers restricted England to a 23-run lead.
'Going into Brisbane, India need a tight strategy for Travis Head and they need to get Akash Deep in and maybe Ravindra Jadeja for Ashwin.'
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane on Saturday.
Azharuddin also highlighted the expected positive impact of Jasprit Bumrah's return, stating that India's bowling attack is currently superior to England'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
In the team's first session ahead of the third Test, Bumrah seemed to be good spirits, constantly chatting with fellow teammates and at times with the travelling Indian media.
Rishabh Pant will aim to hit the refresh button after a wretched run, as Lucknow Super Giants make one last-ditch attempt to stay alive in the IPL play-offs race by winning their remaining three league matches, starting with the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow on Monday.
Hardik Pandya's maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket and star batter Suryakumar Yadav's fluent 67 went in vain as Lucknow Super Giants beat Mumbai Indians by 12 runs in an Indian Premier League match in Lucknow on Friday.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
"We will have an advantage...": BCCI VP Shukla on India's new-look squad for England tour
Sitanshu Kotak did not rule out India spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's participation in the must-win fifth and final Test against England.
Most pitch curators are possessive about the main square on a cricket field but Lee Fortis, the chief curator at The Oval, takes that obsession to a sacrosanct level.
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.
Former captain Michael Vaughan feels England panicked on the final day of the fifth Test against India in the absence of inspirational skipper Ben Stokes.
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.
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.
Gill, Rahul score fifties in intra-squad practice match against India A ahead of England Test
Ben Stokes acknowledged that missed opportunities early in the match allowed India to take firm control of the second Test at Edgbaston
Captain Rishabh Pant on Monday admitted it was difficult for his side to fill the void created by the absence of key bowlers
By avoiding the follow-on and standing firm against Australia's aggression, India ensured that they stayed alive in the series.
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.
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.
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.
Jadeja's return along with Akash Deep replacing Harshit Rana, is seen as a bold move that could either turn the series around or backfire spectacularly.
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
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Sarfaraz Khan along with Assistant Coach Abhishek Nayar reached Perth on Monday.
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
After shouldering the bowling attack and now stepping up to bat, he's proven himself to be an all-round hero.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, on Friday.
'Yeah, 100 per cent. That's a good question, and I think that's something we'll obviously reflect on after the tour, the things we could have done better.'
As debates around Jasprit Bumrah's workload continue, Sanjay Manjrekar has taken a firm stance - arguing that the onus lies on the pacer to adapt, not the system.
Lucknow Super Giants spin bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed has expressed confidence in captain Rishabh Pant despite his poor form in IPL 2025, saying the "chilled and relaxed" skipper will come good in crunch moments.
Harpreet Brar and Jagjit Singh Sandhu linked up with the India pacer in the nets, bringing a touch of familiarity and camaraderie to a high-pressure moment in the series.
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