'They can't afford to go 2-0 down so you want your best bowler.'
It was an optional session at the Supersport Park but for India skipper Rohit Sharma, skipping the nets wasn't an option.
Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who got five wickets in England's first innings, none of the other bowlers looked penetrative as the hosts chased down a target of 371 with minimum fuss.
'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.'
Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings have no paucity of talent to excel in IPL 2025, especially in home conditions.
A probable lack of solution for his recurring struggles with the ball outside the off-stump prompted Virat Kohli to take retirement from Test cricket
There are some speculations over some rejigging in the A+ category following the retirement of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from T20 Internationals.
Engineer surprised by Kuldeep's omission from 1st Test, says he should be playing all matches
Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided the flourish at the end as Chennai Super Kings outclassed Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets to break their run of losses.
Needing 7 to win, Siraj is given the ball and who better than Mr Lion Heart to script India's narrowest win in Test cricket. It takes Siraj a stinging yorker to send Atkinson's stumps flying -- the ball hitting low on the off stump.
Rohit Sharma gave a huge compliment to India's spin-bowling pair of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja
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.
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
Ravi Shastri picked Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings and Karun Nair's wicket in the second essay as the key moments that tilted the third Test at Lord's in England's favour.
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
While Suryakumar went about his business with his unique style, Rohit put his raw power on exhibition and effortlessly muscled the ball past the boundary ropes.
Images from the ICC World Cup match between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
In two of the three games CSK has won this season, Noor Ahmad has won the Player of the Match award.
India crushed England by 336 runs to level the series at 1-1 on Sunday
If series is on the line and Bumrah is fit, he has to play: Ian Bell
Karun Nair has got starts in majority of his six innings in England but he has not been able to convert them into something substantial.
'His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.'
Sai Sudharsan made the opportunity count in his comeback game with a fifty while Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as India played the old-fashioned way to reach 264 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
The retirement of Ravichandran Ashwin has opened the door for other spin all-rounders to step up, and Vidyut is confident that Washington Sundar could be the one to watch.
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is up and running in Beckenham, putting in the hard yards before the upcoming five high-stakes Tests against England, slated to kick off on June 20 at Headingley.
Rohit Sharma smashed his 32nd ODI century -- a 90-ball 119 -- to guide India to a four-wicket victory over England.
IMAGES from the World Cup match between India and South Africa played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
Trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, visitors eye spin boost at Edgbaston.
While Gill's intent was to contain, former players believe he missed an opportunity to attack when it mattered most.
The video was taken down following intense reactions on social media as CSK faced their third consecutive defeat.
The young left-arm pacer held his nerve in a tense finish to bowl RCB to a narrow two-run victory in a high-scoring game.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after 37 World Cup 2023 games.
India's young guns are fearless and mentally hardened by the IPL exposure. But true mettle will be tested when adversity strikes -- and this time, there will be no Kohli to stir up the crowd, no Rohit to deliver a captaincy masterstroke, and no Ashwin to conjure wickets out of nowhere.
Following India's five-wicket win over Australia, stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya said KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja's partnership had a calming effect on the others watching from outside.
'When people look at Kohli, they see a boy from Delhi who is taking on the Aussies in their own backyard and aspire to be like him.' 'Players like Jadeja and Ashwin lack this quotient.'
As questions swirled around dropped catches, poor captaincy calls, and a one-dimensional bowling attack, former players didn't hold back.
Struggling CSK look to turn around fortunes against PBKS
While it's a do-or-die game for KKR, who must win all their remaining three matches to stay in playoffs contention, the match will be more about celebrating Dhoni's legacy than the result.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs by an Indian in England. Virat Kohli holds the record for most wins by an Indian captain in England.
