After England completed a disappointing World Cup campaign with a victory over Pakistan, all-rounder Ben Stokes confessed that he will have to think long and hard about continuing to play One-Day International cricket for England.
Was it an injury? A missed opportunity? Captain Shubman Gill has an explanation-but it's not one many are buying.
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.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
'Ideally we would have wanted about 40 runs more'.
'The series has shown a lot of talent, for us and India. I love Test cricket and we've seen some young, inexperienced players perform and the future looks bright in this format.'
England captain Ben Stokes tried hard to be self-effacing on the eve of his 100th Test appearance, saying "milestones are what they are" but he is looking forward to the "theatre" that would come with playing the marquee game against a star-studded India.
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.
From Jasprit Bumrah's much-anticipated return to the all-rounder conundrum, the playing XI could very well hold the key to seizing control of this historic series.
'He is one of the most complete cricketers you will ever see.'
Ben Stokes' aggressive captaincy brought about England's downfall, feels BCCI president Roger Binny
India are yet to win a Test in Birmingham in nearly six decades -- boasting of a dismal record of seven losses and one draw in eight attempts.
Pant also matched India's veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane, who was the last vice-captain to smash a century in each innings, doing so against South Africa in New Delhi, in 2015.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
This was India's seventh defeat in their last nine matches as their poor run in Test cricket continues following successive series defeats against New Zealand at home and in Australia.
Joe Root on Saturday said Ben Stokes was recovering well from his injury
As Team India gear up for the much-anticipated Test series against England starting on Friday, several players in the squad will draw confidence from their county cricket experience.
It drew condemnation from the ruling NDA in Bihar which reprimanded the Leader of the Opposition for his choice of words.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Friday
'It's also a great opportunity for myself and it's good to pass on a little bit of knowledge to the younger guys who haven't played as much Test cricket. And I am also learning from them.'
'There will be things that happen between the two teams but both teams know there's a line you can't cross but it's not really been troubled too much'
Who do you think should be part of the Indian team for the first Test against England?
Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer will be given every chance to prove their fitness before next year's Twenty20 World Cup.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president, who is on a tour of his home state Bihar, was replying to questions from journalists who sought his views about the episode.
A minor hip injury kept Ben Stokes out of the World Cup opening match which England lost by nine wickets against New Zealand.
'If a person makes a decision because they think it's the best for themselves, the future and security of their families, then it's very hard to disagree with that.'
Ben Stokes humorously 'apologised' to Jason Roy for breaking his previous record of 180, which Roy had achieved against Australia in Melbourne back in 2018.
Pant now has three Test centuries on English soil.
He has taken nine five-wicket hauls in SENA conditions.
Stokes acknowledged that he is nearing the conclusion of his career rather than the beginning, but he stated he still wants to stick around to play in the upcoming Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025.
There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period.
'There's always some calculated thinking behind it.'
I am amazed Ben Stokes is still in the country, I don't see any point in him being there, said former England bowler Steve Harmison who added that England need to consider rehab time post surgery, if Stokes has to play the Test series vs India.
Ben Stokes and the cricket community at large are committed to rectifying the issues highlighted in the report and working towards creating an environment of equality and inclusivity within the sport.
Days after the alleged caste-based tonsuring of a Bhagwat Katha preacher and his aide in Etawah's Dandarpur village, tensions escalated on Thursday as members of Yadav groups staged protests demanding the arrest of all accused and withdrawal of the case registered against the victims.
Former wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik believes Shubman Gill is yet to realise the 'enormity' of what it means to be India's Test captain.
Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most runs by an Indian in England. Virat Kohli holds the record for most wins by an Indian captain in England.
Another India lower-order collapse gave England a fighting chance of a thrilling victory in the first Test at Headingley on Monday, with the hosts 21/0 in their second innings at the close of play on day four, chasing 371 to win.
It's evident that this Indian attack, even without Bumrah, has oodles of quality in it, but can they refocus on their lengths?
If Stokes plays two months of IPL till the end of May, then he would be spending close to five months in India, which might not be feasible for him.
