As India gears up for crucial upcoming matches, the spotlight is firmly on the bowling department amid injury concerns surrounding Jasprit Bumrah.
The usually mobbed Indian cricket team likes training in a relaxed atmosphere and that was evident in their body language as the players went about their business in their only practice session at the Kent County Cricket Ground before the fourth Test in Manchester.
Pakistan's ODI series victory in Australia showcased the raw pace and skill of their fast bowling attack, spearheaded by Haris Rauf.
Captain Shubman Gill and the ever-dependable K L Rahul gave India a glimmer of hope with resilient half-centuries after a well crafted hundred from Ben Stokes extended England's supremacy in the fourth Test in Manchester on Saturday.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's bowling unit will face a different challenge when they take on Gujarat Titans in an IPL match on Wednesday.
'Five spinners, Siraj ignored for Rana, and Jaiswal dropped. Brain-faded captain and coach combo!'
India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Thursday said the team is "leaning towards" playing lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth Test in Manchester as the visitors look to pull themselves back on level terms in the five-match series against England.
Washington Sundar's bold prediction that the visitors would seal the win 'probably in the first session' turned into a haunting soundbite, as England staged a spirited comeback to snatch a 22-run victory and a 2-1 lead in the series.
'Whenever India bowls, Reiffel feels it's not out. Whenever India bats, he feels it's out.'
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
'There is a reason why wickets often fall after a change of bowling. It forces the batter to recalibrate. That variability isn't available to Shubman Gill with his current crop'
Mohammed Siraj was in Australia for his first Test tour when his father Mohammed Ghaus passed away and had to tackle the emotional phase to concentrate on cricket on that trip.
'For us, and for Indian Test cricket going into the future, this will rank right at the top.'
K L Rahul struck an unbeaten 75 to anchor their nervy chase against Australia in a low-scoring contest and secure a five-wicket win in the opening one-day international.
Senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma feel pacer Mohammed Siraj's outstanding run of form in 50-over cricket augers well for the Indian team heading into the World Cup later this year.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka attributed his side's humiliating loss in the Asia Cup final to lack of application from batters and credited wrecker-in-chief Mohammed Siraj for his "outstanding" spell which set up India's 10-wicket win.
'If we had stopped them at 210-220 it would have been better, that was a huge difference.'
How India's players rated in the South Africa Test series.
Joe Root's patient unbeaten 99 led England to 251-4 on an attritional and compelling first day of the third Test against India at Lord's on Thursday.
India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
The opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground saw its share of thrilling moments, the stump mic provided a unique insight into the intensity within the Indian camp.
The 25-year-old Shubman Gill is a clear favourite to land the high-profile job as Indian embarks on a new World Test Championship cycle.
What's interesting is now fans are questioning the reasons and persons behind their retirements.
'These quicks are dominating every day,' the skipper tweeted.
Ravindra Jadeja continued his renaissance as a batter, delivering his best-ever outing during the recent Test series in England and joining a list of legends
Pathan conceded that Jasprit Bumrah is the only automatic selection among the bowlers.
It was his late father's dream to see Siraj play for the country in Tests and finally the dream was fulfilled on Saturday at the MCG.
India are aiming for a quick turnaround in the second Test, starting in Pune on Thursday.
'He is a man who has shown a lot of awareness and his skillset has been amazing that too being a fast bowler. We often talk about making a difference in the field not in just one match which he brought throughout the ODI World Cup and still it's going on.'
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.
India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the crow as Team India were hosted by the Indian High Commission in London on Monday
India's bowling coach Morne Morkel outlined 'consistency' as a crucial aspect for the visitors to thrive in the upcoming five-Test series against England.
Rachin Ravindra and Will Young remained calm under pressure after the loss of two early wickets to get the job done, earning New Zealand only their third win on Indian soil in 38 attempts going back to 1955.
Opener Ben Duckett hit the most defining century of his career, exposing an out-of-depth Indian attack as England comfortably chased down a tricky target of 371 to win the opening Test by five wickets.
England lead 2-1 in the series and victory at Old Trafford would seal it.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj said the disappointment of not being able to perform in IPL 2022 pushed him to focus more on white-ball cricket, which is paying rich dividends.
'The primary reason India have started travelling better is the arsenal of pace Virat is able to summon.'
Former captain Sourav Ganguly wants the BCCI to immediately send Mohammed Shami to join the Indian team in Australia, even if he is unable to play in the Perth Test.
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
A spectacularly well-timed jump to pluck the ball out of thin air, at deep mid wicket to remove Nitish Kumar, was the turning point of the game.
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