England levelled the three-Test series against West Indies after bowling the tourists out for 198 in the second innings to win by 113 runs in the final session of the second Test with Ben Stokes in inspired form at Old Trafford on Monday. England had declared their second innings at 129-3 in the first session in Manchester after sizzling all-rounder Stokes smashed 78 off 57 deliveries, setting West Indies a target of 312 with 85 overs left in the day.
A grafting century from Dom Sibley and an increasingly belligerent one by Ben Stokes put England in control on day two of the second Test against West Indies in Manchester on Friday. Opener Sibley completed his second Test century shortly before lunch, eventually falling for 120, while Stokes cut loose after it before going for 176 as England declared on 469-9.
While a draw always seems a safe option in a game like this but Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri wouldn't like to play a defensive game which at times can be counter-productive.
India captain Virat Kohli on Monday lost his number one position in the ICC Test rankings for batsmen, dropping to second after a forgettable performance in the second Test against England.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 2nd Test played at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday.
A proud Virat Kohli rated his team's bowling performance in the fourth Test among the top-three during his captaincy stint, extolling his players' strong character as India scored a superb 157-run victory over England after conceding a huge 99-run lead.
Team combination a worry for India
Images from Day 5 of the second Test between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Tuesday.
Hampshire batsman James Vince has been called up to the 14-man England squad for the fourth Test starting in Southampton on August 30.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played between England and West Indies at Manchester on Sunday.
Ben Stokes will start the third Test for England against India at Trent Bridge on Saturday just four days after being cleared of affray.
England lost the series-opener by four wickets with Jermaine Blackwood leading West Indies to a memorable victory.
IMAGES from the first Test between England and West Indies played at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton on Thursday
'James Anderson was unavailable for selection in the Test squad as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury,' the ECB said in a statement.
It is an perfect stage for India's mercurial skipper Virat Kohli, who loves to bring his A game to the fore when the chips are down.
A look at the newly-laid dark coloured Chepauk track is an indication that unlike the strip used during the first Test, this one will offer turn earlier than expected.
Darwin Nunez came off the bench to score twice as Liverpool snatched a sensational 2-1 Premier League win at Newcastle United on Sunday.
The 29-year-old, who got married this week, received a warm welcome from an unusually large crowd at the Glenn McGrath Oval and looked his usual twitchy self at the crease as he rattled off a half century in 62 balls.
'If we're going to be the best team in the world we're going to have to play on good wickets which are flat in certain periods. We're also going to have to be able to learn to deal with the scoreboard pressure. We should also be able to deal with the pressure of spinning wicket towards the back end of the Test match.'
Wagner took three wickets in 17 balls for just one run as England collapsed from 132-5 to 138-8 before tea, then broke a 59-run ninth-wicket partnership between Jofra Archer and Sam Curran after they had threatened to thwart the hosts.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Motera, Ahmedabad.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Ahmedabad.
India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
Joe Root was miffed after a blunder by Anil Chaudhary denied them the wicket of India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane after a DRS review.
'Their batting line-up is more vulnerable to both pace and spin, and they look weak. Some of their first-choice batsmen have an ordinary record in domestic cricket, averaging 30-35 at best.'
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 2nd Test played between England and India at Lord's in London on Friday
Rajneesh Gupta presents a detailed statistical analysis on the struggles of Rahane and Pujara since 2020.
Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow put England on course for a ground-breaking run chase against India despite Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance on day four of the rescheduled fifth Test, setting up a fitting series finale in Birmingham on Monday.
Coach Mark Boucher appears to have brought some steel back to the South African squad as they subdued an England side battling with illness and which has recently struggled to pick up wins on the road.
Skipper Joe Root, who led England to a series-levelling win at the Headingley, expects an Indian backlash in the penultimate Test and said they're ready for all combinations including facing the "world-class" R Ashwin at Oval.
With 36 different playing XIs in as many Tests under Kohli's captaincy, the Indian line-up is begging for some consistency.
Sam Curran's 78 helped England recover from 86 for six to 246 all out against India on the first day of the fourth Test.
Lack of assistance for the bowlers during the post-lunch session on the third day was a major reason for England's complete control over India in the second Test, felt all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Markande (5 for 31) spun a web around the visitors to bowl them out for 180 in the second innings on the third day of the four-day match.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between India and England, at the Narendra Modi stadium, in Motera, Ahmedabad.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Saturday
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
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