England succumbed to the pressure of standing up to a world-class band of Indian spinners
India's bid to win a 17th consecutive home Test series, however, hinges on the success of their three-pronged spin attack comprising Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Indian Olympic medallist shuttler Saina Nehwal reached Uttar Pradesh on Sunday to take part in the Ram Temple 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony to be held in Ayodhya on Monday and expressed their delight, saying that she feels fortunate to have come for the event.
The last time India fielded five or more debutants in a Test series was during the 1996 tour of England when current Head Coach Rahul Dravid, Batting Coach Vikram Rathour, Bowling Coach Paras Mhambrey all made their debuts along with Sourav Ganguly, Venkatesh Prasad and Sunil Joshi.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the first Test against England?
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's five-wicket haul in the second innings has helped him narrow the gap with top-ranked Jasprit Bumrah to 21 rating points at 846 after the fast bowler was rested for the Ranchi Test.
Ravichandran Ashwin will become only the 14th Indian player and 77th overall in world cricket to complete the milestone of 100 Test matches.
Ashwin was spotted enjoying a leisurely time with team-mates and coaching staff during a trip to Titou Gorge in Dominica.
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IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test played between India and England in Hyderabad, on Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja, one half of India's most successful Test bowling pair, is backing his long-time colleague, Ravichandran Ashwin, to reach 500 career wickets in the first match against England.
South African batting great AB de Villiers on Wednesday called Ravichandran Ashwin a legend and said the senior India spinner has not always got enough credit for his service.
Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who entered the elite 500 Test wicket club at Rajkot, climbed a rung to the second position behind pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
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Bhuvneshwar's early strikes coupled with good spells from Pat Cummins and Thangarasu Natarjan in the middle overs saw SRH clinch victory against all odds.
The BCCI has also named one inter-squad for a three-day match slated for December 20 to 22.
A disappointed Rajasthan Royals will have to focus on better execution of their strategies for a swift turnaround when they face a highly inconsistent yet capable Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match in Mullanpur on Saturday.
After Sarfaraz Khan received his maiden Test call-up in the India squad, former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh heaped praise on the 26-year-old and said that he has worked very hard to be in this place.
Ashwin retains No 1 spot, Bumrah moves to 4th in ICC rankings
Since embracing Bazball, England are yet to lose a Test series, while India remain unbeaten at home since 2012-13.
'He is an amazing player. You generally do not look for all-format players in modern-day cricket.'
'Amidst all the chaos and scathing assessments, I feel it's very important to acknowledge all my team mates who played in this cycle.'
England pace bowler Mark Wood on Friday said opener Ben Duckett forced India to constantly change the field placement as he played a "skilful innings against a good attack" in Rajkot on the second day of the third Test.
Each of India's top five batters, including debutant Devdutt Padikkal, managed 50-plus scores to power the hosts to a commanding 473-8 for a lead of 255.
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A reinforced skillsets and the ability to perfectly read the ebbs and flows of a match have made Kuldeep Yadav a tough customer, but back in 2019 the left-arm wrist spinner felt the need of a guiding force around him as his form went south while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Harshal finished with 2/28, taking his wicket tally to 22 in 13 games and overtake Jasprit Bumrah for the most wickets in IPL 2024. The pacer is way ahead of everyone when it comes to bowling in the end overs, with 16 wickets between the 16th and 20th overs -- the most by any bowler this season so far with Bumrah a distant second on 11 wickets in the death overs.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley said on Sunday the strip used for the first Test against India didn't offer much to the tweakers and he had to "keep a cool head" to make his debut memorable with a seven-wicket haul in a famous England victory.
Apart from Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal, India's batters struggled on a surface that proved to benefit the batters.
'Rohit Sharma is an outstanding person. He understands every single person in the team, he knows what each one of us likes and dislikes.'
'We need to value lives and also put a value on our lives.'
'Yashasvi has not put a foot wrong, he has taken to Test cricket like a fish to water.'
India were without several frontline players and fielded five debutants in the series.
The veteran spinner was named as a late replacement for the injured Axar Patel in India' 15-member squad for World Cup 2023.
No praise is enough for Ravichandran Ashwin, said India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday as he lauded the senior off-spinner ahead of his 100 Tests, calling him a "rare" talent who has contributed consistently to the team's success.
England stuck to their gameplan in the second innings, attacking the spinners at every opportunity as the Indians came undone and clearly looked bereft of ideas.
Bumrah, who was named Player of the Match after helping India level the five-match series with a 106-run victory, ended Ashwin's 11-month long reign. Ashwin, on 499 Test wickets, is now third in the standings.
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