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.
Shubman Gill's aggressive behaviour during the Lord's Test came as a surprise to many, including former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Former Indian cricket stars Suresh Raina, RP Singh, and Anil Kumble share hilarious and heartwarming stories in 'Cheeky Singles' on JioHotstar.
Pant now has three Test centuries on English soil.
Jasprit Bumrah has galloped 10 slots to return to the top 10 for bowlers with a match haul of 9/110 in the first Test against England at Nottingham.
'Kohli and Rohit do not fit in our plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup.'
When I think of the character of this team, our never-say-die attitude stands out. There are only three of us who have played over 50 Tests, but we never back down from a challenge
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
Admirer of Tendulkar, inspired by Pandya, UAE's Alishan Sharafu ready for India challenge in Asia Cup
Former all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri has thrown his weight behind young Washington Sundar to be a 'genuine all-rounder for many, many years for India'.
'His glove work defied convention. Dhoni's technique behind the stumps was unorthodox, yet extraordinarily effective.'
India, for all their internal debates and external expectations, look like the one side that has clarity of purpose. And clarity, in high-pressure tournaments, often counts for more than raw talent.
'He leads a lot of actions. And in this series so far, he's done it with the ball at times that we've needed somebody to put his hand up and create something.'
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
K L Rahul has been in great form with the bat in England, with 375 runs in the first three Tests at an average of 62.50, with two centuries and a fifty.
Dimuth Karunaratne's Test career ended in a whimper as Sri Lanka's most prolific Test opener fell caught behind to Kuhnemann after making 14.
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
Aiden Markram hopes South Africa's ICC World Test Championship Final win over Australia has silenced any doubters and consigned their 'chokers' tag to history.
West Indies all-rounder Russell set to retire from international cricket
Australian opener David Warner and veteran fast bowler Ryan Harris have moved up to career-high positions in the ICC Test player rankings following their impressive contributions in Australia's series-winning third Test defeat of South Africa in Cape Town.
Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
Rishabh Pant walked out to bat on Day 2 despite fracturing his toe.
With over 500 runs, six crucial catches, the most by an Indian on the tour, Rahul led by example and lived up to his wiseman tag.
As part of workload management for the injury-prone star pacer, the management had decided to play him in three out of five Tests. That plan doesn't change with four games remaining.
'I thought helmets would help. So, I took a motorcycle helmet with a polycarbonate visor to WSC.'
Steve Smith became the 15th member of Test cricket's 10,000-run club as he and opener Usman Khawaja smashed hundreds to help Australia rack up 330/2 on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
What do you think about the selection? If you can come up with something better, send us your team.
India jump to No.1 in Test rankings, now reign supreme in all three formats
Players from the other teams who could push the Men in Blue to the limit.
India retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings. India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points.
The national team, captained for the bulk of those years by Misbah Ul Haq, hosted its 'home' games in the United Arab Emirates and remained relatively successful until fixtures trickled back onto Pakistani soil in 2018.
India will kickstart their campaign on September 10 against the UAE. Media reports suggest that Gill could make his return to the T20I team, possibly as vice-captain.
The series marks the beginning of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC).
Rahmat Shah registered a Test record score for an Afghanistan cricketer with an unbeaten double century
'See, he had the power, the support, so you expected certain kind of toughness, stubbornness from him but he would do things for Indian cricket.'
Ireland outclassed Zimbabwe by 63 runs in the one-off Test in Bulawayo on Monday for their third straight victory in Tests.
Pant's effort earned accolades from Tendulkar, who lauded the wicketkeeper-batter's paddle sweep.
Despite the impressive record that the WTC finalists are in possession of, Bangar doesn't believe the Proteas or the Baggy Greens will receive an edge over the other in the Ultimate Test, which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday.
Jasprit Bumrah doesn't seem to be a long-term captaincy option given his nagging fitness concerns.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances