Underdogs Nagaland showed they are made of sterner stuff as their batters fought tooth and nail all day to score 365/5 and frustrate Tamil Nadu who would be fancying their chances of enforcing a follow-on after a mammoth 512-run first-innings total in a Ranji Trophy Group A match in Bengaluru on Monday.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was "disappointed" on missing a century by a whisker, but amazed by Test captain Shubman Gill's "incredible" effort that powered India to a comfortable position at the end of the opening day of the second Test against England, at Edgbaston, on Wednesday.
Shubman Gill scored a record-breaking 269 and their seamers struck early to put the tourists in a commanding position at Edgbaston on Thursday.
England have only drawn one from 35 Tests in the McCullum-Stokes regime, with one of their exhilarating run chases in that spell coming when they reached 378 against India in 2022 -- the only time India have lost when defending Test totals of more than 350.
The Indian team also made history at Headingley in the series opener, with five centuries scored in a Test match.
Shubman Gill lauded fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj for stepping up in the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah
Brits ton, Mlaba's four-for power South Africa to commanding win over New Zealand
Nitish Kumar Reddy made a promise to himself post the Australia tour that he would improve his bowling.
Jaiswal Blazes, Gill Leads: India's Young Guns Dominate Opening Day
After England were dismissed for a massive 669 runs, pacer Chris Woakes handed early an early jolt to bring the crowds to their feet.
India finished day three of the second Test on 64/1 to lead England by 244 runs after they dismissed the hosts for 407 in the first innings at Edgbaston on Friday.
After hundreds upon hundreds of runs on flat tracks in the ongoing series so far, it took the green top at The Oval to finally produce the best day of the Indian summer, on the fifth and last Friday of the Test series.
Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar struck unbeaten centuries as India staged a superb fightback on the final day to draw the fourth Test against England.
'Special mention to Siraj, who will put everything on the line for the team. Extremely happy for him.'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said his team is still searching for that "perfect game" despite entering the Champions Trophy final with an all-win record. He is hopeful that it will come in the summit clash on Sunday.
Woakes was stranded on nought as Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna took the remaining 4 wickets in an hour's play to help India register a series-levelling 6-run win.
India's experienced opener KL Rahul expressed admiration for vice-captain Rishabh Pant and his dream to replicate the dynamic southpaw's play style following their record-breaking exploits on Day 3 of the third Test against England at Lord's.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
'Very very pleasing (with the way the series went). We knew there would be challenges that we could face.'
England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final Test, needing victory to square the series, battled to 204-6, with all their big guns dismissed cheaply.
A superb century from Ben Duckett helped steer England to a sensational five-wicket win in the first Test against India after a thrilling day five on Tuesday.
Shubman Gill was "extremely proud" of the fight that his team put up after being down and out but rued the absence of one fifty partnership and Rishabh Pant's first innings run-out in their 22-run defeat against England in the third Test at the Lord's.
Captain Muhammad Waseem, the UAE's best batter who is known for his aggressive approach and ability to play big shots, got into the act and fetched himself three boundaries in Aamir Kaleem's first over, the 43-year-old left-arm spinner hardly posing any threat as he ended up giving away 14 runs.
In 113 T20Is and 89 innings, Pandya has 1,803 runs, at an average of 28.17, and a strike rate of 141.63. He has scored five half-centuries, with best score of 71 not out.
In mounting tension, Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton struggled to get bat on ball, surviving several frenzied appeals before the umpires decided it was too dark to continue.
The 107-run partnership between Jaiswal-Akash Deep was a turning point in India's second innings.
South Africa have eight wickets in hand and are now overwhelming favourites to finish off the job, and take the title away from champions Australia, who had set them a daunting fourth innings target of 282 in the final on Friday.
In summary, excluding the inactive innings, his recent conversion record reads rather poor with no half-centuries since his eminent legendary debut knock.
Post-lunch, Pant brought up his half-century with a single before launching his third maximum, cementing his reputation as one of the game's most fearless stroke-makers in red-ball cricket.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
The record was previously held by West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran (592 runs in 20 matches).
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
Conceding that India could not get the first innings score they were looking in the first Test against England, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak felt Rishabh Pant's stroke-filled 134 was different from his usual aggressive knock.
K L Rahul, the most consistent performer with the bat for the visitors so far in the series, completed 9,000 runs in international cricket across all formats.
Gujarat Titans opener B Sai Sudharsan continued his red-hot form in the Indian Premier League to lead the Orange Cap race for IPL's top scorer and stake his claim for a Test debut in India's tour of England later this year.
Virat Kohli anchored a tricky chase with an unbeaten 100.
England gained the upper hand after a rain-hit first day of the final Test against India at The Oval on Thursday
His combined figures of 10 for 187 bettered Chetan Sharma's 10 for 188 - a mark set back in 1986.
They will meet the winner of Wednesday's second semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
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