Lord's has a tradition of rewarding those who give their best, asserts veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, visitors eye spin boost at Edgbaston.
'He leads a lot of actions. And in this series so far, he's done it with the ball at times that we've needed somebody to put his hand up and create something.'
Shubman Gill dispelled all doubts about his thumb injury with a stylish fifty even as skipper Rohit Sharma kept cards close to his chest by coming in at No. 4 in India's curtailed pink-ball warm-up game against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Sunday.
As India look to bounce back from the crushing defeat in the series opener against England in Leeds, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the second Test in Edgbaston, scheduled to begin on July 2, has been a hot topic of discussion.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant's woeful form with the bat and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer's sublime touch have made Sunday's mid-table clash an engrossing contest -- one that could decisively shape the fortunes of either side as the IPL enters its business end.
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.
Pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and the others found it difficult to generate the expected bounce on the used pitches. Reports indicate that deliveries barely rose waist-high, even when the bowlers hit the deck hard.
Gujarat Titans messed up on a golden opportunity to seal a top two spot in the league table as Lucknow Super Giants earned a consolation 33-run victory.
At his former franchise Delhi Capitals, the captaincy became a point of contention, leading Pant to opt out of DC's retention plans after unsuccessful negotiations.
LSG's lead pacer picked two wickets in his very first over, taking out DC opener Jake Fraser-McGurk (1) and then dismissing No 3 batter Abhishek Porel for a duck.
The sight of a pitch with a fair smattering of grass and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah putting in hard yards at nets might be the early signs of India sticking to the three pacers theory for the first Test against New Zealand
Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of the upcoming two-Test series in South Africa on fitness grounds
Jasprit Bumrah continued his domination of Australian cricket, reaching a significant milestone of 50 Test wickets Down Under.
Drama in the most dramatic of series isn't over yet!
As India prepares to take on England in the first Test at Leeds, all eyes will be on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The legendary Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter jets, the the backbone of the Indian Air Force's combat fleet for more than six decades, streaked through Indian skies for the last time on Friday -- its final adieu edged in history and many a remembrance.
Both DC and LSG have 10 points and a win will keep them safely perched in the higher echelons of the points table ahead of the jostlers.
While the young Indian team showed great resolve to earn a creditable draw in England, the series exposed several weaknesses that need urgent attention.
How the India Test regulars and discards fared over the first two days in the opening round matches of Duleep Trophy.
Rishabh Pant's fifty, Sarfaraz Khan's aggression give India B control on Day 3 of the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru on Saturday
Musheer Khan, younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan (9), saved his side from a total collapse with an innings of rare maturity that belied his 19 tender years.
The selectors announced India's teams for the tour of South Africa.
Chennai Super Kings have never experienced a worse phase in the Indian Premier League and their faltering batters will have to deliver to arrest their steep slide in a must-win game against an upbeat Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow on Monday.
Aiden Markram held on to three crucial catches, while Miller had the big fish.
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.
The Duleep Trophy is set to return to its traditional zonal from next year after the state units gave a thumbs down to the four-team concept introduced this season.
After nearly a year away from the crease, Morne Morkel rolled up his sleeves and had a go with the ball, much to the delight of his players.
Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin chipped away at the wickets to leave New Zealand reeling on 171/9 in their second innings at stumps on Day 2.
For the home side, it has been a season of mixed returns so far. After early defeats to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, KKR roared back to form in their last outing -- a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to organize three four-day practice matches against England Lions in the UK before the upcoming Test series against England.
Travis Head scored his second successive hundred while veteran Steve Smith wore the opposition down with a statement century to put Australia in control
Selectors will assess the fitness level of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is recuperating from back spasms, and veteran fast bowler Mohammed Shami.
In selectors' radar, Kumar Kushagra gets maiden India A call-up against England Lions
Lucknow Super Giants skipper Rishabh Pant is looking to make his mark and secure a win in his team's first home game of the season.
There are some speculations over some rejigging in the A+ category following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20 Internationals.
The pacer, who was on the road to recovery from an ankle injury, has suffered a flare-up in his right knee, potentially delaying his return to competitive cricket.
The Uttar Pradesh left hander has played 44 first-class matches, scoring 3109 runs at an average of 57.57.
At this point it is still anyone's game, with a draw also an option, says Prem Panicker in his analysis of Day 4.
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.
