England tearaway Jofra Archer is willing to do everything in his power to secure a ticket on the plane that will fly to Australia
The third Test at Lord's could well be the series' turning point. This isn't just about team combinations or tactical tweaks anymore. The pitch has emerged as a defining factor -- one that could tilt the balance of power in a contest hanging delicately at 1-1.
England skipper Ben Stokes on Thursday said the hosts don't think the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and R Ashwin makes India any lesser side as their "ginormous" talent pool is enough to fill the void.
During the third day of the opening Test against New Zealand, England skipper Ben Stokes entered the history books as he broke Brendon McCullum's record.
The ground brought sanity to the wild, soaring numbers for the batters in the series. The wicket had grass, and it made the batters struggle.
This series begins a potentially era-defining period for Stokes and England coach Brendon McCullum, having enjoyed plenty of highs and lows over the past few years, with the Ashes series in Australia next up in the Test format, starting in November.
Jofra Archer will play his first Test in more than four years as he replaces fellow seamer Josh Tongue for the third Test at Lord's.
England still have hopes of winning this game. This prognosis is based on their fourth innings exploits over the last three years and the fact that India galloped to 321 runs in 70 overs, suggesting the wicket isn't particularly tricky. However, the big difference from Leeds in June this year, or Birmingham in 2022, is that this track still has plenty of juice.
Former captain Michael Vaughan is astonished by England's decision to bowl first on a dry Headingley wicket, a decision that backfired as India finished at 359 for 3 on day one of the first Test in Leeds.
'We obviously want to wheel him in, but we also want to respect where his body's at, and on the basis of that, we just felt that it wasn't worth including him in the squad.'
Captain Gill will be looking to get India back to their best in red ball cricket and he has 'Let you actions lead the way.'
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
'It is an immense honour, a responsibility I couldn't have imagined.'
Washington Sundar's bold prediction that the visitors would seal the win 'probably in the first session' turned into a haunting soundbite, as England staged a spirited comeback to snatch a 22-run victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.
Selected at number three ahead of the burgeoning talent of Jacob Bethell, who averaged 52 on his first Test tour of New Zealand, Pope settled after early scares to compile his ninth Test century.
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
The altercation between head coach Gautam Gambhir and Oval's chief curator Lee Fortis happened after the visitors were asked to stand "2.5 metres from the wicket."
England have only drawn one from 35 Tests in the McCullum-Stokes regime, with one of their exhilarating run chases in that spell coming when they reached 378 against India in 2022 -- the only time India have lost when defending Test totals of more than 350.
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
England head coach Brendon McCullum feels his players have lacked humility in their recent public utterances and he would like to see them win back respect from fans ahead of the tough home series against India and the Ashes later this year.
The five-match Test series against India at home is a massive test for England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Former wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik believes Shubman Gill is yet to realise the 'enormity' of what it means to be India's Test captain.
'And obviously two losses and being out of the tournament and a bit of hangover of the few tournaments before I think it probably reached the end of the road foe me and my captaincy, is a shame, I'm sad about that.'
'An outstanding leader. He's a really strong leader of men.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has sacked its data analysts, Freddie Wilde and Nathan Leamon, weeks ahead of the Test series against India, as head coach Brendon McCullum wants to put more emphasis on gut feeling and intuition.
Kubica won the race in his fifth attempt, his first three in the second tier LMP2 category, to become Poland's first overall winner since Le Mans was first staged in 1923.
Across five fiercely contested Tests, more than 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries. Every match stretched into a gripping fifth day. The sun shone, the stands were full, and the cricket -- emotional, enthralling, and endlessly unpredictable -- captured imaginations around the world.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
This chase marked the sixth time under the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum leadership that England had hauled in targets of 250 or more in the fourth innings.
England pacer Brydon Carse is expecting the transitioning Indian team to put up a strong fight in the five-match Test series despite the recent retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, thanks to their "huge depth".
Gill's magnificence. Siraj and Akash's brilliance. Jadeja's class. Jaiswal and Rahul's success. Stokes' toss blunder. Root's failures.
Injuries in the squad prevented England from training ahead of the last two One-Day Internationals against India, coach Brendon McCullum said.
Former West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin feels the role of wicketkeepers has evolved over the years since Adam Gilchrist came into prominence.
Abhishek Sharma's Father Breaks Superstition, Witnesses Record-Breaking Knock in Hyderabad
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
The spotlight will be firmly on Mohammed Shami as the Indian team contemplates his inclusion in the playing XI.
England coach Brendon McCullum on Monday described his Indian counterpart Gautam Gambhir as a "strong leader of men", backing him to achieve success with the national team in near future.
Joe Root returned to England's one-day international squad for the first time since their ill-fated World Cup title defence in November
'There's now a huge opportunity for everyone in the dressing room and those outside to put their hand up and say they want to be part of these white-ball teams.'
Tim Southee equalled West Indies great Chris Gayle's tally of sixes in Test cricket to move to joint-fourth spot in the all-time list.
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