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
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
Here are the crunch moments that were series-defining and the contributions of the players who came of age during the English summer.
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 Indian team under Gautam Gambhir's coaching has been about multi-skilled cricketers, and Washington Sundar feels blessed that he is one of them.
As Indian bowlers' desperate search for a breakthrough continued on Day 5 of the first Test against England in Leeds, poor show by fielders added to their woes.
Images from Day 5 of the third Test between England and India at Lord's on Monday.
Virat Kohli is yet to arrive in Bengaluru and it is not clear when he will undergo the mandatory fitness test ahead of the new season.
The matter of Bumrah's availability for the series should have been a highly-guarded secret. That it was bandied about all through suggests the matter was deliberately placed in the public domain. This has become the basis of the hounding of Bumrah, by some former players and fans, asserts Rohit Mahajan.
Despite outstanding performances in the IPL and on the international stage, several big names failed to make the cut.
'With the reverse swinging creating opportunities for wickets for the seamers, and with the way England have played the finger spinners, India might stick to two seam bowlers and a finger spinner making way.'
Gill said staying calm under pressure would be crucial going forward in the five-match series.
Former wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya feels Shreyas Iyer was unlucky to be left out of India's Asia Cup squad but said some players will always miss out due to the depth of talent in the country.
England head coach Brendon McCullum admitted India 'deserved' to win the fifth and final Test at The Oval as the visitors played better cricket in the closing stages.
India's Test stars flopped with the bat as the hosts folded for a lowly 194 in 52.5 overs in their first innings, on Day 2 of the unofficial second Test against Australia A.
The decision to allow Virat Kohli to complete his fitness in London has sparked a debate within the cricketing circles on whether this was a one-off allowance to a player of his stature.
In the team's first session ahead of the third Test, Bumrah seemed to be good spirits, constantly chatting with fellow teammates and at times with the travelling Indian media.
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.
Across five fiercely contested Tests, more than 7,000 runs were scored, including a record-equalling 21 individual centuries. Every match stretched into a gripping fifth day. The sun shone, the stands were full, and the cricket -- emotional, enthralling, and endlessly unpredictable -- captured imaginations around the world.
The change in Mohammed Siraj's fortunes has played a critical role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's late surge in IPL 2024, and the pacer's good run might also have put the Indian thinktank at ease ahead of next month's T20 World Cup.
Avesh Khan, who was released to play Ranji Trophy during first Test, has rejoined the squad.
Indian spinners will have a tough fourth day in office with the pitch getting slower, thereby making batting way easier, admitted assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate after the end of third day's play in the third Test against the West Indies in New Delhi on Sunday.
Injured England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir ruled out of remainder of Test series against India
Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacer Mohammed Siraj on Sunday rued the lack of help for bowlers in T20 cricket, saying smaller grounds and flat pitches are making 250-plus totals the new normal.
Responding to India's squad selection for the home series against West Indies, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan opined that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could have been rested for the series in order to groom a young fast bowler.
Shubman Gill said he could not have asked for a better all-round performance from his team after they hammered the West Indies by an innings and 140 runs in the first Test.
It was mind over matter for Mohammed Siraj, as he pushed his physically indisposed self to the limits to earn the 'Player of the Match' award in Royal Challengers Bengaluru's four-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
Group A includes defending champions India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong are in Group B.
Jasprit Bumrah may have played only three Tests in the England series, but his impact was undeniable - and so was his pride.
What's his pet name, who are his idols and who's his best friend in the team...
Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the uncapped Anshul Kamboj belongs to the rare breed of fast bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Jasprit Bumrah.
India made 3,809 runs in this series, which is the most ever scored by a team in a five Test series.
According to Cricbuzz, Indian cricketers could collectively be staring at losses of around Rs 150-200 crore in endorsements.
Four spinners in India's T20 World Cup squad suggest that the Indian selectors are expecting slow turners in the Americas but have they missed a trick by picking only three pacers in the final 15?
Akash Deep's 10-wicket match-haul sets up famous win for India in the second Test against England at Edgbaston.
Former cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton lampooned England's top order for their early collapse
India's hopes of drawing the series at The Oval may hinge on one question: will Jasprit Bumrah play?
Fired-up England reduced India to 58/4 chasing 193 for victory in a highly-charged final session on day four on Sunday as a gripping third Test at Lord's.
Who has scored the most runs in Asia Cup? Who has taken the most wickets?
