As India and England gear up for the first Test at Headingley on June 20, all eyes won't just be on the players, but on the sky.
Kumar Sangakkara scored a world record equalling half century as Sri Lanka reached 214-4 at the end of the third day to leave the second Test against England delicately poised on Sunday.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
England go unchanged at Edgbaston
Jofra Archer could return for second Test against India: England national selector Wright
'He wanted to be there early. He wanted to play the side game (India A tour game).'
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
Harshit Rana has been included in the India Test squad as a cover and travelled with the rest of the team via train to reach Leeds
This isn't just a Test match - it's a test of Shubman Gill's leadership, temperament, and decision-making.
Jofra Archer has not featured in a Test since 2021 and was recently included in the England squad for the second Test after playing a four-day Country game for Sussex.
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.
With two Tests left, India trailing the five-match series 1-2, and Bumrah available for only one of them, Panesar feels India needs to go all out in Manchester next week.
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.
Showing an insatiable hunger to learn and succeed, Shubman Gill turned to senior players and former greats for insights, embodying the ethos of a student of the game.
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
'They can't afford to go 2-0 down so you want your best bowler.'
'There is no particular style that I have to follow. I have played so much cricket so far and everyone knows my style of playing.'
Led by Shubman Gill, a defiant India put on a mentally strong and technically disciplined response to keep the series alive with England 2-1 up. While there were plenty of positives to take forward, a few concerns continue to linger as the series heads to a decider at The Oval.
Engineer surprised by Kuldeep's omission from 1st Test, says he should be playing all matches
'We all know what Stokes is capable of, but it's great to have your leader being able to grab the ball like that and showing you the way sometimes.'
Take a look at the numbers and narratives that made Edgbaston Test one for the ages.
As Rishabh Pant walked back after a splendid 134 off 178 balls - laced with 12 fours and two sixes - the Headingley crowd rose in appreciation of a masterclass.
With Jasprit Bumrah crafting chances by the dozen, a spate of dropped sitters, including three by Yashasvi Jaiswal, handed England a lifeline and drew scathing remarks from Stuart Broad and Sunil Gavaskar.
The ICC is ready to sanction four-day Tests for smaller nations in the 2027-29 World Test Championship cycle but India, Australia and England can still play the traditional five-day matches.
'There was a time when I was in a quality over quantity mindset in international cricket and did not hit enough balls. Now I am back to enjoying hitting a lot of balls in the nets.'
As India went into the second Test against England on Wednesday without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, former players and coaches questioned the thinking behind resting the world's best bowler when they trail 0-1 in the series.
Ahead of England's five-match Test series against India at home, head coach Brendon McCullum hailed young all-rounder Jacob Bethell
India are yet to win a Test in Birmingham in nearly six decades -- boasting of a dismal record of seven losses and one draw in eight attempts.
According to the reports, Virat has been having regular conversations with the Board over the past month or so.
Two fast-bowling all-rounders look to be in a battle for one spot, while a decision between Prasidh Krishna and left-armer Arshdeep Singh could be condition-dependent.
Nitish and Shardul were thrown into the playing XI for India A during both unofficial Tests against England Lions, and both all-rounders reaped mixed results across the two contests.
A superb century from Ben Duckett helped steer England to a sensational five-wicket win in the first Test against India after a thrilling day five on Tuesday.
The tourists have hosted a training camp at the South East London venue in Beckenham as they solidify their preparations for the first bilateral Test series without batting bigwigs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
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.
In summary, excluding the inactive innings, his recent conversion record reads rather poor with no half-centuries since his eminent legendary debut knock.
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.
On Tuesday evening, Gill led his team and support staff into West Yorkshire, travelling via a special train arranged from London.
'It is an immense honour, a responsibility I couldn't have imagined.'
The beleaguered tourists lined up without their ace bowler in the second contest, Panesar believes India would need to figure out a way to scythe 20 scalps to stand triumphant for the first time in Birmingham.
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.
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