Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has offered his thoughts to solve India's selection dilemma ahead of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
In the series opener at Headingley and the third Test at Lord's, India were outbowled by the hosts, leading to their downfall.
Irfan Pathan criticised believes controlling restricting the number of overs sent down by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah during the Lord's Test proved crucial.
India's next international assignment is Asia Cup T20 tournament and it would be a surprise if Bumrah opts to play the tournament considering that the next Test series against West Indies will start in less than a week's time after the event in the UAE.
Stokes, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 scalps, will be a mere spectator at The Oval, robbing the series finale of his charismatic on-field presence.
Pacer Anshul Kamboj has been added to the India squad in England as cover for Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh
Joe Root has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after his stellar efforts helped England secure a 22-run victory over India at Lord's, according to the official website of the ICC.
'Why let England know what's coming and what's not? Why not keep it under wraps and make them guess?'
As England and India gear up for the final Test of the fiercely fought five-match series starting at The Oval on Thursday, a number of individuals on either side will be on the cusp of major individual milestones.
South Africa insist they are confident of chasing down a tough target to win the World Test Championship at Lord's even if the contest against Australia has been dominated by the bowlers.
Spin great Anil Kumble heaped praise on Ravindra Jadeja for his consistency and growing maturity with the bat.
Shubman Gill has not just scored a double hundred; he's rewritten the record books.
India, Australia and England are likely to be joined by South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the top division, while Pakistan, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland will be placed in the second division.
Yashasvi Jaiswal continued his meteoric rise in international cricket with yet another outstanding overseas tour
It took eight years for Karun Nair to don India jersey again but 25 days into his second coming in Test cricket, the Karnataka batter could well have played his last international game
India batter Pratika Rawal on Friday clarified that her shoulder contact with England cricketers during the first Women's ODI was "not intentional" after she was fined and handed one demerit point by the ICC.
India captain Shubman Gill threw his weight behind Gautam Gambhir following the latter's fiery exchange with The Oval's chief curator Lee Fortis, firmly asserting that the India coach was well within his rights to inspect the square.
'We all know what he's capable of achieving in Test cricket and we hope that when the opportunity does arrive for him, he's able to recapture, and also improve on, what he's been able to do already in that form of the game.'
A look back at a few memorable showdowns in the last decade and half that had the quintessential crests and troughs of Test cricket.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
On July 13, 2002, the Indian cricket team achieved an extraordinary victory on foreign soil by defeating a formidable England side in their own backyard to clinch the Natwest Tri-Series, which also featured Sri Lanka.
Joe Root was on 36 and digging in when Mohammed Siraj angled one in that rapped him square on the pads. The Indians went up in unison. But umpire Paul Reiffel stood his ground.
Team India wasted no time in getting their preparations underway as they kicked off their first training session at Lord's a few hours after their arrival in London on Saturday.
The swashbuckling left-hander has a solid record in England, with 808 runs in 10 Tests and 19 innings at an average of 42.52, with four centuries and two fifties. His best score is 146.
Karun Nair's struggles at the crucial No. 3 position is a big headache for Team India.
Shubman Gill is enjoying a 'honeymoon period' as India's Test captain but there will be more pressure on him in the days to come, feels former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Jasprit Bumrah had made himself available for three of the five Tests in England and the Indian team management felt it was right to honour the star pacer's call considering his workload, said assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
Three-day gap in between Tests is too less for five-match series: Stokes, Gill on scheduling
Pat Cummins, who is down with a back injury, will miss the upcoming white-ball games against New Zealand and India and also the Sheffield Shield matches in the run-up to the Ashes.
India skipper Shubman Gill on Wednesday said that levelling the five-match Test series in England would be a "great achievement" and he would return from his first assignment as captain a lot wiser.
'What a player he is. He bowls, bats and executes a crucial run out of Rishabh Pant but there is no talk of workload management. But with India it is not like that.'
The series marks the beginning of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC).
From Ravindra Jadeja's stoic resistance to Jofra Archer's fire and the emotional collapse of Mohammed Siraj at the end, this was a Test for the ages - one that even veteran voices like Nasser Hussain hailed as the best in recent memory.
The over rate has been a big talking point in the series and the frequent for ball change is making matters worse. Bumrah said the hot weather should be taken into account before taking action on slow over rate.
Can Shubman Gill and his men rewrite the script once more? The answer begins unrolling on July 23.
'Look, when someone comes back into the Test side like he does after a lengthy absence, the pressure is always there, and I think he has handled that very well.'
Pictures of the meet were splashed across social media as Indian captain Shubman Gill looked like a happy chappy meeting United captain Bruno Fernandes.
'Bring the deficit down to about 60 and then take it 10 runs at a time.'
And ahead of the 4th Test, some members of the Indian team went all out at a gym training session.
Shubman Gill on Sunday criticised the rapidly deteriorating quality of the Dukes ball and expressed his dissatisfaction with the trend of flat pitches
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