Four days before the opening Test, Leeds chief curator Richard Robinson and his crew were seen working on the lush green strip of Headingley, which held moisture, to offer a good battle between the bat and ball.
The temperatures in Leeds are expected to hover between 15 to 21C which is not ideal for batting, especially under cloudy skies and breezy conditions.
The Times newspaper reported Yorkshire have hired a team of "sprinter stewards" to prevent protesters from breaching initial perimeter security.
The Indian team also made history at Headingley in the series opener, with five centuries scored in a Test match.
Group A includes defending champions India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong are in Group B.
Rishabh Pant, who hit two centuries in the Headingley Test, now trails top-ranked batter Joe Root by just 88 points.
Captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon have returned to the Australia XI for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Another India lower-order collapse gave England a fighting chance of a thrilling victory in the first Test at Headingley on Monday, with the hosts 21/0 in their second innings at the close of play on day four, chasing 371 to win.
Hope says he has it in him to do well again when West Indies take on England in a bio-secure environment.
India have never won a second Test after they lost the first Test in England.
Images from Day 2 of the third Ashes Test on Friday.
New Zealand were 68 for three at tea on the fourth day, chasing 468 to win the second and final test against England at Headingley on Monday.
It was a relieved Ben Stokes bidding good riddance to more than a decade of pain for English cricket in Australia on Saturday as his team rallied from the depths to complete a drought-breaking Test win in Melbourne.
Pant's transformation began after a forgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
Rishabh Pant is only the second wicketkeeper in the history of Test cricket to hit two hundreds in the same match.
He has taken nine five-wicket hauls in SENA conditions.
Pant's effort earned accolades from Tendulkar, who lauded the wicketkeeper-batter's paddle sweep.
England, chasing 455 to pull off the highest successful run chase in Test history, reached 44 for no wicket at the close on a rain-hit fourth day of the second and final match of the series against New Zealand on Monday.
Shastri added that Shreyas Iyer, who has had a tremendous run in white-ball cricket for India as well as in the IPL, is another player who could get selected for the England tour, but would face stiff competition.
New Zealand ripped through England's top order to close in on a series-leveling victory as the hosts limped to 102 for five at lunch on the last day of the second and final Test on Tuesday.
In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Pant's disciplinary record, for whom it was the first offence in 24 months.
Only three England captains have secured the urn in Australia in the last 50 years, with Andrew Strauss the last in 2010/11.
Asked about Bumrah's availability for the next match, Gill was clear at the post-match presentation, "Definitely," he said
Injuries prevented Archer appearing in subsequent Ashes series but the 30-year-old is now fit and firing and will be part of England's high-octane pace attack that many think could power them to a first series win in Australia since 2010-11.
The duo is followed by a former Sri Lanka icon, Mahela Jayawardene, with 205 outfield catches in 149 appearances.
Ahead of the 2nd Test starting on Wednesday, July 2, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin had some advice for Gill, as the visitors look to level the five-match Test series.
The 317th man to play for India in Test cricket, Sudharsan was handed his Test cap by former India No 3 bat, Cheteshwar Pujara.
India's spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the fifth and final Test against England, at The Oval starting on Thursday, due to workload management concerns.
The Indian team touched down in London ahead of the Lord's Test, starting on Thursday and the wicket-keeper batter was spotted soaking in some attention at Wimbledon.
Bumrah's pace has dropped noticeably in the ongoing fourth Test against England in Manchester - from his usual 140kph to the 130-135kph range. While he consistently touched 140-plus at Headingley and Lord's, Old Trafford has told a different story.
Jamie Overton returns to the Test line-up for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022.
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
Graeme Swann took six wickets and England dodged the rain clouds hovering over Headingley to wrap-up a 247-run second Test victory over New Zealand on Tuesday and secure a 2-0 series triumph.
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.
Pant now has three Test centuries on English soil.
The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).
Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly found themselves reliving old memories - this time from the sidelines.
In the series opener at Headingley and the third Test at Lord's, India were outbowled by the hosts, leading to their downfall.
Maybe Shubman Gill didn't want Shardul Thakur , wanted Kuldeep Yadav: Sunil Gavaskar questions captain's say in XI
Jasprit Bumrah is likely to play the first, second and fourth Tests.
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