The first Test is scheduled to begin on July 8 at the Ageas Bowl and Joe Root will leave England's training camp on Wednesday to be with his wife, Carrie, who is expecting their second child later this week.
It took a one-word message from England captain Ben Stokes for spin all-rounder Moeen Ali to come out of his Test retirement.
Rajasthan skipper Smith hailed Stokes as "exceptional" and said he hoped his team was peaking at the right time.
And what did he eat before scripting that miraculous win? Takeaway chicken and chocolate bars! Yes, you read that right.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes India's lack of success away from home in Test cricket is down to lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder like England's Ben Stokes.
All eyes will be on Captain Shubman Gill and Coach Gautam Gambhir to lead the Indian Test team into a bold new era.
Ben Stokes was named in England's Twenty20 squad for a tri-series against Australia and New Zealand on Monday, his participation dependent on whether he is charged for his involvement in an altercation outside a nightclub in September.
The reversal opens the door for Ben Stokes to play in England's 50-overs World Cup title defence in October and November.
Moeen cautioned that the team cannot solely rely on him, especially when there are other talented players in the squad.
'If a person makes a decision because they think it's the best for themselves, the future and security of their families, then it's very hard to disagree with that.'
If Stokes plays two months of IPL till the end of May, then he would be spending close to five months in India, which might not be feasible for him.
England on Monday named four specialist spinners, including the uncapped duo of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, in the 16-member squad for next month's five-Test series in India.
'Our priority is getting Ben fit and ready to play, that's what we are concentrating on.'
According to ESPNCricinfo, Stokes, who has played for Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant in the past, will likely play as a specialist batter initially to manage his knee injury, for which he has been administered cortisone shots -- an anti-inflammation injection.
Stokes acknowledged that he is nearing the conclusion of his career rather than the beginning, but he stated he still wants to stick around to play in the upcoming Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025.
Ben Stokes will return home after Chennai Super Kings' final league game to prepare for the upcoming Ashes.
England have been largely rusty and inconsistent despite having a dangerous squad on paper.
England Test skipper Ben Stokes said he will leave the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League early.
He's been Rooty's (Joe Root) right-hand man for a while now. I know Rooty does turn to him a lot. He's been involved in a lot of talks we have behind the scenes, England coach Silverwood said.
England selected an entirely new squad for their limited-overs series against Pakistan after three players and four staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has slammed the "stupid" size of boundary marking sponges at stadiums after seamer Reece Topley was ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup having suffered a leg injury by stepping on one during a fielding drill.
"You don't produce the numbers and produce the innings that he (Kohli) does in all three formats and it's fine. We as players and people who play against him a lot, we never take anything he has done in the game before into the game we have got here," said Stokes.
England Test skipper Ben Stokes was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 16.25 crore.
England took charge of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday, riding Harry Brook's 171 to a first-innings lead of 151 before reducing the Black Caps to 155/6 on Day 3.
Intense bidding is expected to be the order of the day when 10 teams jostle to grab their preferred players in the IPL players' auction in Kochi on Friday.
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh had a day to remember as he caught up with some of the world's greatest sportspeople at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit on Sunday.
Brook's innings was by no means chanceless -- Tom Latham and Tim Southee both missed one good chance to take a thick edge in the slips -- but he rode his luck to bring up his 10th Test half century with a six.
England Test skipper Ben Stokes on Wednesday came out of ODI retirement to be included in the provisional squad for the 50-over World Cup
England's star all-rounder in his defence said he was 'being competitive'.
England Test captain Ben Stokes on Tuesday said he had feared he might not play again after taking an extended break from cricket last year to focus on his well-being.
Had Stokes scored quicker and hung around longer, the script could have read differently for the world champions.
Kohli, who made 0 and 62 in Chennai, stayed in fifth spot among batsmen with 838 points. Kane Williamson (919) of New Zealand retained the top position with Steve Smith (891) of Australia in second spot.
Stokes brought his first half-century in T20I cricket with a four in 47 balls while levelling the scores. He (unbeaten at 52* off 49 balls) then brought up the winning runs, with Liam Livingstone at 1* and England finished the innings at 138/5 in 19 overs.
Michael Vaughan called on Stokes to forgo the IPL to boost his chances of being fully fit for the Ashes
Beau Webster is just the second player in the Sheffield Shield competition's 132-year history to score more than 900 runs and take 30 wickets in a season. The legendary Gary Sobers was the first to achieve the feat.
Before the IPL Auction 2025, Rediff.com delves into the top 10 most expensive players in IPL history, exploring their impact on the game and the factors that have made them so valuable.
"We're fully aware he's not the finished project and I think it's important for his inclusion not to be looked into too much."
With most of the top Indian players already in one team or the other, out-of-favour national players Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey at Rs 1 crore base price will command a fair bit of bidding.
Ben Stokes said his IPL stint won't come in the way of national duty, adding that he would prefer to fly back and lead England against Ireland in the build-up Test ahead of the high-stakes Ashes.
Stokes, 27, was accused of knocking unconscious two men, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, in a brawl in Bristol, southwest England, last September just hours after he had played in a one-day international against the West Indies.
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