Thakur, who resumed Day 3 unbeaten, brought up his century with ease, reinforcing his case as the ideal seam-bowling all-rounder ahead of the Leeds Test.
The pacer wasn't going to let strict Covid protocols get in the way of a life-changing moment.
'It's going to be a real challenge, it's actually absolutely the litmus test as a touring team.'
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.
Shubman Gill lauded fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj for stepping up in the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah
Pujara believes there are 'shades of Rishabh Pant' in the young English batter, who took the attack to the Indian bowlers with remarkable flair.
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Will Jasprit Bumrah be ready to play the second Test at Edgbaston? That is the biggest question confronting the Indian team management as the visitors look to draw parity against England after losing the series opener from a commanding position at Leeds.
K L Rahul drove his way to a sublime 47 after England negated India's advantage by totalling 465 in their first innings as the visitors had another ordinary day in the field on Day 3 of the first Test in Leeds on Sunday.
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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
Hussain recalled the Lord's Test in 2021 and Virat's 'pep talk' to fire up his players on the final morning as the visitors thrashed the hosts and registered a memorable win.
How the Indian players fared in the five-Test series in England.
Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali sees shades of Virat Kohli in Shubman Gill's aggressive on-field demeanour, but feels the India batter's approach during the Lord's Test may have triggered a stronger response from the hosts.
Former England skipper Alastair Cook backed Ollie Pope to retain the No. 3 spot in the batting line-up ahead of Jacob Bethell during the upcoming five-match Test series against India.
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 is no particular style that I have to follow. I have played so much cricket so far and everyone knows my style of playing.'
Despite living in close proximity to the series venues, Kohli is expected to remain absent not just on the field, but off it too.
The series, to commence on June 20, will be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
In a video shared on BCCI's X handle, the playing were seen performing intense drills as they prepped ahead of the opening Test against England.
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Fans and experts questioned the logic behind repeatedly including Easwaran in squads without ever giving him a real opportunity
'They can't afford to go 2-0 down so you want your best bowler.'
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.
According to the reports, Virat has been having regular conversations with the Board over the past month or so.
'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.'
If history is anything to go by, Leeds always has room for a little magic.
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The marquee contest will witness an engrossing tussle for supremacy between two battle-hardened all-rounders: Jadeja, India's man for all seasons, and England's superstar Ben Stokes, who has been the face of a defining era for the Three Lions.
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Archer played in his first first-class match in four years during Sussex's County Championship game against Durham at Chester-le-Street on Sunday and took one wicket for 32 from 18 overs.
There is Ravindra Jadeja, whose superior batting becomes a huge factor in SENA countries but against England's 'Bazballers', Kuldeep Yadav's versatility could complement pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah better if India harbour any hopes of picking 20 wickets.
On Wednesday, head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed that they have yet to take a call on which Tests India will field Bumrah in the playing XI.
'Shubman Gill did not look as technically tight or calm as usual when he came out to bat on the fourth evening, but his team fought so hard on Monday in a fabulous Test.'
Ajinkya Rahane is backing the flamboyant Yashasvi Jaiswal to shine on the tour of England thanks to his ability to perform multiple roles as opener.
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.
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
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.
Joe Root declared that it is his time to pay back Test skipper Ben Stokes, who did so much for him while serving as his deputy during his captaincy tenure that lasted from 2017 to 2022.
