Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
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.
On Wednesday, the Indian cricket team hit the nets under the watchful eyes of Coach Rahul Dravid.
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.
Completely zoned in on the ball, Kohli remained oblivious to the playful antics behind him.
'There is no question on the value that he brings to the side. But the management and board need to discuss how to use him...'
As the final ball was bowled, emotions ran high at the Kensington Oval. Rohit Sharma was overcome with joy, collapsing to the ground and tapping the outfield as tears welled up in his eyes.
India were still staring at a daunting challenge despite a much more assured performance in their second innings, trailing by 125 runs at the close with Sarfaraz Khan on 70 not out after Virat Kohli fell for the same score on the day's final ball.
Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a back injury.
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.
In the T20I rankings, Suryakumar Yadav continues his reign at the top of the batting charts, driven by his brilliant century in the third T20I against Sri Lanka.
'Whenever India bowls, Reiffel feels it's not out. Whenever India bats, he feels it's out.'
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.
Australia opener Travis Head is a player of great class who saves his greatest performances for the biggest occasions. He was at his best throughout the majority of 2023, and when it counted most, he helped Australia win a sixth World Cup in India. He hammered an unbelievable 137 against India in the decider to help Australia lift the trophy.
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.
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.
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.
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Jadeja's return along with Akash Deep replacing Harshit Rana, is seen as a bold move that could either turn the series around or backfire spectacularly.
Rohit Sharma explained the reason for leaving out Kuldeep Yadav from India's squad for the first two matches of the upcoming ODI series against Australia, saying the team management does not want to expose him before the ODI World Cup, starting October 5, and it is important to build bench strength.
'Intensity and target. Fielding Coach T Dilip describes #TeamIndia's fielding drill in Perth.'
Ahead of their final league game against The Netherlands on Sunday, the Indian team celebrated Diwali.
David Warner is apologetic of the crowd behaviour towards Team India in Sydney.
Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina feels middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav will be sorely missed in the upcoming Champions Trophy, as he could have provided the 'X-factor' in Dubai, where Rohit Sharma's side will play all its matches.
The Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will hope their struggling bowling units can find their form on an Ahmedabad pitch that has produced high scores in the last four matches.
The BCCI has been unable to get tickets for the full squad on a single flight.
'When you have a bowler taking wickets consistently, it's understandable that you tend to overbowl him. I don't think we can blame the team management for this.'
The series in Australia could well be Rohit's last in India Blues. But Kohli, given his high fitness standards, could play on until the 2027 World Cup.
According to recent developments, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the PCB have reportedly reached an in-principle agreement to adopt a hybrid model for global tournaments hosted in Pakistan or India until 2027.
Although Mumbai lost the game by three wickets -- Bumrah's efforts stood out as a beacon of brilliance.
'For us, and for Indian Test cricket going into the future, this will rank right at the top.'
Mumbai Indians senior pacer Trent Boult said the Gujarat Titans bowlers made good use of the black soil pitch at the Narendra Modi stadium and successfully tied up the batters by taking the pace off the ball.
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
Yashasvi Jaiswal entered the first Test against England at Headingley with a sparkling century. He exited it under intense scrutiny - not for his batting, but for a torrid time in the slip cordon.
The Men's Selection Committee has picked India's 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match IDFC FIRST Bank Test series against New Zealand.
Gavaskar didn't mince words as he tore into India's sub-par work in the field, both in terms of dropped chances and overall outfielding.
If he was still groggy, he was completely woken up when he was knocked a couple of times on the fingers by Mohammed Siraj's sharp deliveries, early in his innings.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the World Cup match against the Netherlands?
Rajasthan Royals will face a stern test of character as they look to arrest a shocking slide in a do-or-die IPL Eliminator against an in-form RCB.
