India went into the first Test with one spinner in Anil Kumble, while Yuvraj Singh lost the battle for a No 6 or 7 slot to VVS Laxman and M S Dhoni.
England have been weakened by the absence of strike bowler Steve Harmison and, possibly, Matthew Hoggard too, and the Indian batsmen will be hoping to make hay in the first Test.
Sri Lankan swashbuckler Sanath Jayasuriya will join the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Justin Langer, Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hoggard in the All-Stars team for next month's Hong Kong Cricket Sixes tournament.
Michael Vaughan returned to the England team when the squad for the second Test against West Indies at Headingley.
Vaughan has recovered from a broken finger that kept him out of the first Test at Lord's that ended in a draw on Monday.
Ian Bell is ready to support England captain Kevin Pietersen by taking on added responsibility as one of the more senior players in the team, the batsman said. Bell, a veteran of 43 Tests, told Reuters that after the exit of experienced players such as Marcus Trescothick, Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard it was time for him to be recognised as an elder statesman.
He will stand-in for Andrew Flintoff, who went home after the Test series to see his newborn son
Skipper Rahul Dravid is the highest ranked Indian in sixth place in the ICC Test rankings.
Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan claimed a match haul of 9-140 to propel Sri Lanka to an 88-run victory in the first Test against England on Wednesday.
India's Test opener Wasim Jaffer says, if given the opportunity, he would certainly like to prove his worth in the shorter version of the game as well.
The right-hander said the pitch was much as the same as Thursday, when 17 wickets fell in a frenetic day.
The South Africa-born batsman scored his fifth Test century as England ended Day 1 in the third Test against Pakistan on 347 for 6.
England, chasing 198 to win the first Test against Pakistan, were 24 for 1 at close on day 4.
Pakistan 'A' were on 31 for 1 wicket at close on day 2 after England scored 256 in their second innings of the three-day tour match.
Five England bowlers are ranked in the top-20 following superb performances in the on-going Ashes series
England were 263 for four when bad light ended lay 4.2 overs early.
The England all-rounder was confident his team could scrap their way back into the match.
Jacques Kallis scored his 19th Test century to inspire South Africa's bowlers on the second day of the third Test against England.
The duo put on a 172-run run stand in a score of 184 for 2 at close on day 2 of the second Test against England.
Chris Cairns has taken three wickets in his final Test to leave England wavering on 225 for five in reply to the Kiwis total of 384 on day two of the third Test.
Newspapers described West Indies' defeat by England as a crying shame and a horror story on Sunday.
The left arm-spinner took three wickets for 85 to help restrict Sri Lanka to 277 for seven on the first day of the second Test.
Bangladesh reached 245 for 6 in their second innings, a lead of 153, on the fourth day of the first Test.
'I felt isolated, humiliated at times. I lost my career to racism.'
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will join compatriot Virender Sehwag and a host of other international cricketers for a charity match at the Kia Oval on September 17.
Troy Cooley is considered one of the best fast bowling coaches in world cricket. His moment of glory came as England's bowling coach during the historic 2005 Ashes, when the home team's fast bowlers were a nightmare for the Aussie batters.
Former England paceman Mathew Hoggard urges England cricket to have shift in mindset
England seamer James Anderson is confident that he has enough skill and experience to compensate for his decreased pace over the remaining years of his cricket career. England's record wicket-taker in the format missed the opening test defeat against Pakistan at Lord's with a shoulder injury but returned for the second match in Manchester. Anderson, who turned 34 over the weekend, took four wickets at Old Trafford as England levelled the four-match series with a 330-run victory but there was a discernable drop in pace for the bowler who has claimed 458 victims in 117 appearances.
India's lower order put on a rock-solid show to help the hosts take a slender lead.
James Anderson became England's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he claimed his 384th victim in the drawn first Test against the West Indies in Antigua on Friday.
Stuart Broad has been backed by captain Alastair Cook to lead the attack in the absence of James Anderson as England try to show they can win a major Test match without their all-time leading wicket-taker.
It was the greatest series in the history of the game but what has become of those Australian and English players a decade on?
The Headlingley triumph marked the start of a new and important chapter in Indian cricket, with the Indians winning consistently away from home from that point onwards.
'Dhoni was the captain and everyone else was battling for the second wicket-keeper's slot.' 'I was fighting with myself, always thinking of improving my game, getting better personally, not comparing myself with anyone else.'
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