'I see it as neck-and-neck in the game. Whoever can get momentum from hereon has the edge in this Test. I think it is extremely well poised'
England had taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match series in India but Ben Stokes and his men let the hosts draw parity in the second Test as all their batters were unable to get big scores.
Shastri wants both Ashwin and Jadeja in Indian playing XI for WTC Final
India's last ICC title win came a decade ago in the 2013 Champions Trophy, but Rohit said there was no point in dwelling on past disappointments.
The 51-year-old legendary batsman said that it would be a difficult series for Australia as India are a very settled side and Virat Kohli's captaincy is contagious.
India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is confident that senior spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be able to change their style of bowling that suits South African pitches during their upcoming tour, starting on January 5.
Australia will not only depend on his starts but also want David Warner to counter the threat posed by World No. 1 Test bowler Ravichandran Ashwin.
Off-spinner R Ashwin is matching Indian batsmen at their game
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly believes off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be the key to India's success in the Test tour of the West Indies, their first series under head coach Anil Kumble.
Ravichandran Ashwin may not be India's highest wicket-taker in the World Cup but the lanky off-spinner is not complaining.
Ravichandran Ashwin, was again the highest wicket-taker for India with figures of 4 for 70 on Day 1 of the 2nd Test in Bangalore on Saturday. India's top off-spinner reveals how a new-found confidence allows him to place the odds in his favour whenever he bowling to a new batsman.
An annoyed Sunil Gavaskar pleaded with those questioning the Indian team selection for the upcoming Asia Cup and asserted that this 17-man squad should form the nucleus of the 15-member World Cup side.
'In that first Test we played him nicely. He did bowl nicely, we know going into the fourth innings we can play Ashwin well'
India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is delighted that the hard work he has put in fine-tuning his slip catching is paying off.
Dhoni praised every aspect of Ashwin's performance.
The Indian squad is packed with quality players but either wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal or Washington Sundar should have found place in the home team's line-up, reckons 2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh.
Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's magnificent batting form reflected on his captaincy which helped India produce a clinical performance in the first Test against Australia.
India are most likely to field only one spinner in the Test matches in South Africa but left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is not worried about fighting for that lone spot with team-mate Ravichandran Ashwin.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
The best part of Yashasvi Jaiswal's entertaining unbeaten 76 was the manner in which he completely unsettled England's troika of spinners, India's left-arm slow bowler Axar Patel reckoned after opening day's play in the first Test.
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'There have been rule changes to what ICC has done to the one-day format, and there is no point in going with same set of skills time and again, unless the game change your skill or let the game take the demand out of you'
India's premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has no complaints about the seaming track at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur despite it not offering much assistance to the spinners. The off-spinner believes it is important to understand the different conditions and adapt accordingly.
Head coach Rahul Dravid did not see Indian batters replying to England's 'Bazball' in kind but he said they will not be taking a backward step in the five-match Test series beginning in Hyderabad from Thursday.
Ravindra Jadeja on Thursday stood firmly behind under-fire spinner Ravichandran Ashwin stating that it's not the responsibility alone of the Tamil Nadu tweaker to get England to get all the wickets. - Scorecard On first two days, there wasn't great help for the spinners from the SCA Stadium track. Ashwin went for 167 runs from 46 overs with only two wickets to show for his efforts as England scored 537 with help of centuries from Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes.
The legendary Anil Kumble has heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja for his ability to change angles and advised the batters to display more attacking intent if they have to get on top of the left-arm spinner.
Shikhar Dhawan was a 'bit shocked' at his exclusion from India's Asian Games squad
Green made a bigger impact in the ongoing contest in Ahmedabad where he smashed 114, only the third century in the bowler-dominated series.
Shardul Thakur's better batting ability compared to speedster Prasidh Krishna could prove to be decisive while selecting the extra pacer for World Cup but both are likely to be auditioned if India pick a 17-member squad for the Asia Cup, which is set to be named on Monday.
R Ashwin is in line for another player of the series award, says Bikash Mohapatra. After the first two Tests against Australia, has already a tally of 18 wickets, four more than he finished with against England.
The "composed" set of newcomers in the Indian team don't need frequent advice, they need just a supportive environment to excel, said skipper Rohit Sharma after the young guns played a major part in the hosts' series-sealing win over England in the fourth Test in Ranchi on Monday.
Ollie Pope embodied England's 'Bazball' making a 196 filled with sweeps, reverse sweeps and reverse scoops during the first Test, and India head coach Rahul Dravid admitted they will have to counter the unorthodox approach to make a comeback into the series.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the second Test against England?
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken a dig at Steve Smith's controversial move to seek dressing room advice for a DRS referral.
'Look, I'm sure the pitches will turn: it's whether or not they'll turn from day one, which potentially negates a bit of their strength in their seam attack. We know how strong they are.'
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the third Test against England?
Ravi Shastri said that it was a touching moment for him to get bestowed with the Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ben Duckett said England deserves credit for inspiring players in the opposition camp to bat aggressively in Test cricket.
Architect of India's six-wicket win over Australia, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has a solid all-round game and provides stability in the middle-order, said bowling coach Paras Mhambrey.
R Ashwin has it in him to be India's top spinner on foreign tracks provided he becomes a little more flexible and curbs his aggressive instincts, feels former England off-spinner Graeme Swann.
Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin insists that he is not losing sleep over making a limited-overs comeback for India and his immediate focus is on the 'big responsibility' of captaining Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming 11th season of the Indian Premier League.
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