E A S Prasanna, whom Ian Chappell rates as the greatest off-spinner ever, tells Harish Kotian what worked for Moeen and what didn't for Ashwin.
Rain washed out an entire day's play for the second time in the ICC World Test Championship final in Southampton on Monday, diminishing hopes of a result in the India vs New Zealand contest.
The Ireland squad will arrive in England and set up their base at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton on July 18, before facing world champions England in three ODIs at the same venue.
Openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill thwarted New Zealand's plans with a gutsy batting display in tough conditions.
India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday officially inked his deal with top English county side Surrey in his bid to prepare for the tour of England, starting in July.
Help Captain Kohli and Head Coach Shastri pick India's XI for the Rajkot Test.
'It's a very special feeling, the first time in our history we've come away with a World title,' said New Zealand skipper Kane Wiilliamson after victory over India in the WTC final on Wednesday.
ECB England off-spinner Dom Bess described James Anderson as the greatest English player of all time after the 38-year-old moved within two wickets of becoming the first pace bowler to claim 600 Test victims.
Ro will have his wish fulfilled with 4,000 fans permitted to attend the ICC World Test Championship final in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
Deep down, Kohli perhaps well understands that in the most challenging of conditions, his team needs more than just his sheer force of will to succeed. It requires that extra skill, tenacity and temperament. His jigsaw is near-ready; he just needs to find the final pieces, observes Dhruv Munjal.
Kyle Jamieson wrecked India with the ball and opener Devon Conway compiled a half-century to put New Zealand in a commanding position in the final of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in Southampton on Sunday.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Images from Saturday's action in the Premier League.
New Zealand pacer Tim Southee said their World Test Championship triumph will take at least a couple of weeks to sink in.
Former players Irfan Pathan and Parthiv Patel believe pace bowler Mohammed Shami will the hold the key for India with the ball in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship against New Zealand.
"It's been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way. But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me."
Paceman Jofra Archer's breach of bio-secure protocols could have been a "disaster" and ended up costing the board tens of millions of pounds, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of cricket Ashley Giles has said. England dropped Archer from the second Test against the West Indies following the breach, announcing the decision only hours before the start of the match on Thursday.
'Ishant has had multiple stitches on his middle and fourth finger in his right hand. However it is not very serious'
A look at how India have fared in their World Cup opening games.
Shubman Gill is pegged as the next big thing in Indian cricket having quickly risen to top in all formats. But how does the youngster handle the immense pressure?
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
India head coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday said the ICC World Test Championship final should be a best-of-three affair in the long run and not a one-off match like his side is set to play against New Zealand in the inaugural edition.
'Rather than worrying too much about results, it's about trying to stick to a brand of cricket that we want to be proud of playing. I guess that's something that came out in the 2015 World Cup and it's flowed on from there.'
Shastri has been serving as the head coach of the Indian team since 2017, having got an extension after the 2019 ICC World Cup.
Former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris feels India opener Rohit Sharma might find it difficult to negotiate the swinging ball during the ICC World Test Championship final against the Kiwis, beginning in Southampton on June 18.
Trent Boult, who has played 73 Test for New Zealand, said he expects a bit of banter between the rival players since they are all familiar with each other due to the Indian Premier League.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer will, however, go through a second COVID-19 test and will join England's behind-closed-doors training camp on Thursday, provided he tests negative.
Zak Crawley (117) and Joe Root (84) scored freely for an unbeaten 193-run second-wicket partnership, pushing England to 217 for 1 in North Sound on the island of Antigua, where stumps were drawn early due to a late afternoon tropical downpour.
England's James Anderson is the first fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets.
Both bowlers had contracted the dreaded virus during the currently-suspended IPL earlier this month.
ICC acting CEO Geoff Allardice said that would be possible only 'in a perfect world'.
After rain ensured no play on Day 1, the match finally commenced on Saturday as New Zealand won the toss and elected to field.
The series is even more important for Kohli as it would also define his legacy as a leader having already established himself as world's premier batsman.
Shubman's stress fracture in shin could take minimum two months to heal
'We need to get Kane out as early as possible as that'll surely benefit the team.'
Kyle Jamieson has the ability to become one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket in days to come, reckons legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
India and New Zealand will lock horns in the finals of WTC at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton
After a 117-day absence, international cricket returned in familiar fashion on Wednesday as rain and bad light restricted the first Test between England and West Indies to 17.4 overs and the hosts closed a frustrating day on 35-1.
Gavaskar is currently in Southampton with first-hand knowledge about the pitch and conditions for the match starting June 18.
The remainder of the suspended Indian Premier League season will have to be played outside the country, Board of Control for Cricket in India said, though it is unclear whether a window can be found to play the outstanding 31 games.
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