An unbeaten Joe Root century and a bowling masterclass by James Anderson put England in complete control of the second Test on Saturday.
South Africa turned the tables on New Zealand with a 198-run victory in the second Test in Christchurch on Tuesday, crushing the hosts' hopes of a breakthrough series win over the Proteas.
New Zealand defended a total of 273 by restricting India to 251 in 48.3 overs taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
'There's no secret we're right in the hunt for the World Test Championship final following our two-nil win over India and having Trent and Kane fully fit and focussed for the upcoming series will be crucial.'
Neither the batting has worked nor has the bowling clicked in the two matches played so far.
The BCCI isn't involved in this Test match. It was the Afghanistan Cricket Board's choice and the Greater Noida Authority was supposed to provide them with international standard facilities.
Bangladesh had resumed on their overnight score of 38-2 but lost wickets cheaply in the morning as spinners Patel (6-57) and Santner (3-51) took advantage of the turn on offer to heap pressure on the batsmen.
Virat Kohli will be facing the most defining test of his captaincy career as he expects his men to be the proverbial 'phoenix rising from the ashes' when India take on a street-smart New Zealand in a do-or-die T20 World Cup Super 12 match in Dubai on Sunday.
Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a superb century before his bowlers held their nerves in a close finish to help New Zealand edge past India by six runs in the second One-Day International in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Lyon will be lauded for his 10-108 over the match, there was little doubt that Green's brilliant knock in a 10th-wicket partnership of 116 runs with Josh Hazlewood set the platform for the victory.
Tom Latham led New Zealand's solid response with an unbeaten 111 against Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 244 on the third day of the second and final Test in Colombo.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra smashed rapid unbeaten centuries to set up New Zealand's successful pursuit of a 283-run victory target, which came with 13.4 overs to spare.
"The guys knew spin was going to play a big role in this part of the world, everyone's preparation was different. They (the tail-enders) showed a lot of courage in the first Test.
New Zealand strike bowler Tim Southee will miss the upcoming One-Day International series against Australia but Blackcaps coach Mike Hesson is optimistic the seamer would recover from a foot injury in time for the subsequent Test series.
New Zealand eye consolatory win over PNG
New Zealand, who abandoned their white-ball tour of Pakistan last year due to security concerns, are looking to end a run of four straight test defeats with Southee as the new captain following the six-year tenure of Kane Williamson.
South Africa skittled New Zealand's tail to dismiss their hosts for 211 and take a shock first-innings lead of 31 runs on day two of the second Test at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
Carey was ultimately denied his second Test century but cared little as he and his captain steered their side to their target 281-7 and a sixth win in seven Tests over the Australasian summer.
Amir, Imad recalled to Pakistan squad for NZ T20I series
Sans Hardik, it's starting all over again for dominant India
England, chasing 455 to pull off the highest successful run chase in Test history, reached 44 for no wicket at the close on a rain-hit fourth day of the second and final match of the series against New Zealand on Monday.
Axar Patel claimed 2/23 and 2/16 in India's identical six-wicket wins over Afghanistan in the first two T20Is.
All-rounder James Neesham has returned to the New Zealand Test squad for their three-Test tour of India.
All-rounder Cameron Green thwarted New Zealand with a sparkling, unbeaten century after the hosts' seamers threatened to dominate the opening day of the first Test against Australia in Wellington on Thursday.
The Indian team is still searching for the right middle-order combination with the World Cup just a few months away.
Ishan Kishan had to sit out of the Sri Lanka series despite scoring the fastest double hundred in the history of ODIs against Bangladesh.
Images from the first T20 International between India and New Zealand, in Jaipur, on Wednesday.
Warner described local fans as "derogatory and pretty vulgar" after the Australians were targeted for abuse during a test and ODI tour of New Zealand in 2016.
India lose three-match ODI series against New Zealand 0-1 after rain washes out the third match.
A stat pack of India and New Zealand's ODI careers...
New Zealand, on Monday, recalled temperamental all-rounder Corey Anderson for the five-match ODI series against India next month and he will play as a specialist batsman.
Kohli, once dismissing bowlers with ease, now struggles to stay at the crease, while Rohit, a guide for younger players, finds himself confronting his own form.
The decision to create a separate window for IPL has played a massive role in qualitative growth of New Zealand cricketers, believes former seamer and current national selector Gavin Larsen. Another practical reason of having an IPL window is fear of attrition, considering that the cricketing talent pool in a country like New Zealand would be limited with a population of barely 5 million.
India will aim to shed their archaic playing style for good with a 'young and fearless' bunch in the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting in Wellington on Friday.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Rohit has managed just one half-century in his last eight innings in which he has tallied 104 runs. Kohli's freefall in Test cricket continues. He has fallen to spin three times in the first two Tests. Ashwin, usually, dominant at home, managed just six wickets in the first two Tests at an average of 43.
Unbeaten in seven Test series since 2013, New Zealand are widely viewed to have their best chance in a good while to secure a second series victory on Australian soil to go with the Richard Hadlee-inspired 1985 triumph.
Mayank scored 150 and 62 in the first and second innings respectively of the second Test against New Zealand before India defeated the Kiwis on Monday, December 6.
India defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first T20 International in Jaipur on Wednesday, but captain Rohit Sharma was quick to admit that his team was made to sweat for victory.
New Zealand will have their tails up and eye another upset when they resume the trans-Tasman rivalry with a strong Australian side.
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