The final Test begins on Friday in New Delhi, and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to maintain their winning combination as they look to wrap up the home series.
There is a school of thought that having done the hard yards in the England series, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity against a weaker opposition where a century could boost his career.
The series promises a fascinating duel between the two modern-day pace greats.
How India's players enjoyed their time in Wednesday's training session.
Assessing Sai Sudharsan's temperament and Nitish Kumar Reddy's utility in home conditions would be topmost on India's checklist when the high-on-confidence hosts take on a floundering West Indies
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
Ravindra Jadeja's omission from the India ODI squad for Australia tour raised a few eyebrows but the veteran all-rounder was not surprised as the selection committee and team management had "communicated" to him about their inability to pick him.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
The short turnaround time from the high of winning a controversy-marred Asia Cup notwithstanding, Shubman Gill's India will be outright favourites against a struggling and under-strength West Indies when the teams face-off on a green-top in the first Test in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The 36-year-old all-rounder once again rose to the occasion, batting with remarkable patience, steel and a fierce will to fight. Partnering first with Jasprit Bumrah and then Mohammed Siraj, Jadeja weathered thunderbolts and mind games. His 61 not out off 181 balls, spread over nearly five hours, brought India within 22 agonising runs of victory.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 2nd Test between India and West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
The gathering also saw all-rounder Washington Sundar being given the 'Impact Player of the Series' award, handed to him by senior player Ravindra Jadeja.
After the proceedings began with light warm-up and catching, the action shifted to the nets where all batters had long stints in the nets while the other pace bowlers too put in the hard yards.
This brings us to the question of combination and perhaps Arshdeep could miss out on more games going into the T20 World Cup -- a tournament that will be held in the sub-continent -- India and Sri Lanka.
Fans also took to X, calling for Head Coach Gambhir's sacking.
Shivam Dube remains a vital cog in India's T20 set-up and bowling coach Morne Morkel wants the Mumbai all-rounder to step up as a back-up medium pacer ahead of the T20 World Cup, in line with head coach Gautam Gambhir's philosophy of packing the XI with multi-skilled cricketers.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir hinted pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could play in the must-win fifth and final Test against England.
'I had specific plans coming into this Test, and Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) helped me shape and refine them in the lead-up.'
As India gear up for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, former captain Ajinkya Rahane has raised a tactical alarm: the team's all-rounder-heavy approach might be hurting their chances.
'I just wanted to fight for an entire day and that was the only message given to me by the coach.'
Head coach Gautam Gambhir said the character and foundation of the current Indian team will be built on the remarkable act of courage from Rishabh Pant in the Manchester Test.
Pictures of the meet were splashed across social media as Indian captain Shubman Gill looked like a happy chappy meeting United captain Bruno Fernandes.
The Bombay high court on Monday said the entire city has been brought to a standstill due to the ongoing Maratha quota agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange, and the protest has not been peaceful and violated all conditions.
India stuck to their pre-series decision to field Bumrah in only three Tests and was hence not played in the final Test at the Oval
India's batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar refused England skipper Ben Stokes' offer to call off the fourth Test and settle for a draw before the start of the final hour of play.
He also appealed to the protesters to park their vehicles only in the designated parking areas, hours after the high court frowned on the conduct of protesters.
As India head into a series-deciding fifth Test, questions over Gambhir's tactics and temperament are growing louder.
Team India wasted no time in getting their preparations underway as they kicked off their first training session at Lord's a few hours after their arrival in London on Saturday.
India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the crow as Team India were hosted by the Indian High Commission in London on Monday
There is Ravindra Jadeja, whose superior batting becomes a huge factor in SENA countries but against England's 'Bazballers', Kuldeep Yadav's versatility could complement pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah better if India harbour any hopes of picking 20 wickets.
All eyes were on pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who participated in the training session, though his availability for the match is a big doubt.
Since he took over, head coach Gautam Gambhir has stressed on multi-skilled players across formats, especially those who can add batting depth.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assures implementation of Bombay High Court directives regarding the Maratha quota protest led by Manoj Jarange, while also exploring legal options to resolve the issue. He condemned harassment of journalists and appealed to avoid politicizing the matter.
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
The series, to commence on June 20, will be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
Former captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said India may have missed a trick by not playing Kuldeep Yadav at Lord's and Manchester, as quality spinners come to the fore on the last two days of a Test match.
Barring Jasprit Bumrah, who got five wickets in England's first innings, none of the other bowlers looked penetrative as the hosts chased down a target of 371 with minimum fuss.
India outclassed New Zealand by four wickets to win their third Champions Trophy title at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
For their next assignment in the ICC World Test Championship cycle, the two-time WTC runners up will aim to grab maximum points across those four home clashes. Here are five key questions the side must answer prior to their next Test match-up.
Broken foot, unbroken in spirit: Pant gives update
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