But the hosts will be a confident group as star batter Virat Kohli made a return to run-making ways after an all too brief blip.
Their shared brief: To assert India's case with clarity, rebut hostile narratives, and secure enduring partnerships for global counter-terror cooperation.
Manjrekar however, did flag India's overseas batting fragility.
India ended an 11-year-long ICC Trophy drought, beating South Africa by seven runs to claim the ICC T20 World Cup title for the second time on June 29 last year, in Barbados.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes India is in "safe hands" and has "enough talent" to trounce England, but it will all come down to how the young-looking squad will leave a mark in the series on a territory known for being "tough".
Tell us who should be in India's Playing XI for the 2nd Test against New Zealand, starting on Thursday.
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.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji check out who could be the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2025 before the final.
Suryakumar Yadav's doughty 73 not out proved to be the difference as Mumbai Indians sealed the fourth and final play-off berth with a 59-run trouncing of Delhi Capitals.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face off in a crucial Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Friday, both teams desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Gujarat Titans will be aiming for a top-two spot even as Chennai Super Kings continue planning for the future when the two teams meet in the Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Delhi Capitals looked like a well-oiled machine with four wins in a row before a stunning batting meltdown against Mumbai Indians halted their momentum.
Rizvi, Nair power DC to six-wicket win over Punjab Kings
The Delhi Capitals will be looking to improve their batting performance in the middle overs when they face a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match on Tuesday.
But Rohit's deplorable form in red-ball in red-ball cricket may have forced this decision.
The standout performers for DC with the ball were Kuldeep Yadav (2-17 in 4 overs) and Vipraj Nigam (2-18 in 4 overs).
Ishant Sharma dazzled with a three wicket haul to power DC to a 19 run win over LSG.
Shami has dismissed a batter four times off the first ball of an innings in the IPL, the most by a bowler
Gujarat Titans were uncharacteristically sloppy in the field, missing four chances -- including three catches and a stumping.
In the IPL Eliminator against Gujarat Titans on Friday, May 30 2025, Mumbai Indians' seasoned campaigners Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah were the difference-makers, underlining the timeless adage that in cricket, it's the big players who deliver on the big occasions.
Sharma was the key person who looked after Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis.
Mumbai Indians outlasted Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan.
DC skipper Axar Patel said four wins in four matches had given the team a huge boost in morale.
An out of sorts Rohit Sharma will strive to keep himself relevant going forward in the Indian Premier League when he is challenged by Delhi Capitals' effective troika of spinners in Mumbai Indians' next match in Delhi on Sunday.
It's an exciting time for fashion in India-- merging heritage with a dash of creativity.
The delegations led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both Bharatiya Janata Party), Sanjay Kumar Jha (Janata Dal-United), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar) will visit a total of 32 countries and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
To K L Rahul, a decade-long journey in international cricket has felt like 25 years in which he has had to overcome 'mental challenges' of being a floater in the Indian set-up.
Kolkata Knight Riders will have little motivation left when they take on also ousted Sunrisers Hyderabad in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi on Sunday.
'If Rohit wants to open, KL should bat at No. 3. Nothing later than that.'
Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR to the IPL 2024 title, could be headed for the players' auction after failing to make a breakthrough in negotiations, while K L Rahul is also unlikely to be retained by LSG.
Here is a look back at India's hard-fought 1-0 series win in England, 54 years back.
To say the least, a relatively inexperienced batting line up led by Shubman Gill would be relieved to see the name of James Anderson
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the first Test against England?
An in-form Mumbai Indians will be out for revenge having lost to Gujarat Titans earlier in the season.
Gujarat Titans eye top-two finish as struggling LSG look to salvage pride
Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL despite featuring top talent over the years. Under Axar Patel's leadership, they will hope IPL 2025 finally ends their title drought.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff's three best performing players in all the 17 IPLs (2008-2024).
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.
Gurindervir, Kujur, Manikanta, Amlan set new 4x100m relay national record
In a country where it becomes awkward to handle the retirements of legends like Kohli and Rohit, the selectors has shown the required foresight.
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