New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson is aware that the challenge of playing Test cricket in India will be different from what it is back home, his enviable record notwithstanding.
Former Australian captain, Ian Chappell, one of the game's biggest analysts for many years now, believes India has been well served by fast bowlers such as Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
A lot of Indian cricketers have been doing their bit, ranging from making financial donations to helping people procure essential medical care.
India will be without captain and batting mainstay Virat Kohli, who decided to skip the first of the two Tests, while batter Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will miss both matches.
Rain is likely to play spoilsport in the third and final T20I of the three-match series between India and South Africa.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson speaks about the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship final between his team and India.
With Virat Kohli stepping down as India's Test captain, the reign of the country's "most successful captain" in the longest format came to an end.
'As Test team, we stand in a good position. Whole credit goes to Virat'
Australia's decision to pull out of next month's three-Test tour in South Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic is "extremely disappointing" considering the hosts had put in place a number of safety measures, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said on Tuesday.
The choice of Jayant Yadav as back-up off-spinner in Test squad, or picking Baba Aparajith over the likes of Mandeep Singh and Sheldon Jackson in India A, could raise pertinent questions as to whether enough respect has been given by this committee when it comes to selecting performers in domestic cricket.
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson on Thursday said his team will need to make the most of the second new ball when play resumes on the second morning of the first Test against India.
Ajinkya Rahane rubbished all the claims which stated that sometimes the emphasis is on the money in the IPL rather than the game.
Gambhir added that it will be interesting to see the kind of wicket the teams get as both sides are capable of outclassing each other on the field.
'We have the likes of (captain) Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, who have the ability to dig in and score big runs and I also like the way that Rassie (van der Dussen) has come in and grown in that team.'
IMAGES of the Indian men's cricket team during a practice session at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Monday
India are marginally ahead of third-placed New Zealand in the WTC points tally.
The IPL is likely to start in the second week of April and its knockout matches may stretch till early June, potentially clashing with New Zealand's first Test in England
Rain and bad light did not allow full play on any of the previous four days since Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat but Pakistan's Abid became the only male cricketer to hit a century on his debut in both the Test and ODIs.
India are yet to drop a point in the nine-team championship, having won three series in a row.
India captain Virat Kohli will end the year at the top of the ICC Test ranking chart for batsmen but five-day specialist Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a place to fifth. With 928 points, Kohli is way ahead of second-placed Australian maestro Steve Smith (911) and New Zealand's inspirational skipper Kane Williamson (822), while Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, who has amassed 1,085 runs in 11 Tests this year, improved a place to grab the fourth spot.
Double centurion Agarwal, meanwhile, climbed to the 11th spot after his player-of-the-match effort of 243 in India's only innings. The 28-year-old has reached 691 rating points after scoring 858 runs in his first eight Tests.
The inaugural edition will see top nine Test teams -- Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies -- fight for the top honours in 72 Test matches across 27 series over the next two years
'But as we know it's harder to get out of this team than get in, so whoever they go with, I'll be well and truly happy with, as long as the person who comes in does their job.'
Proteas skipper said that the match getting called off was not ideal as every game is crucial heading into next year's T20 World Cup in Australia.
Images from Day 5 of the ICC World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand, at The Hampshire Bowl, in Southampton, on Tuesday.
The second Test pitch led to some sort of criticism from former players like Michael Vaughan and Mark Waugh and the duo termed the pitch as "substandard".
Spin legend Shane Warne has thanked star batter Virat Kohli for "passionately supporting" Test cricket, a day after he stepped down as skipper of the Indian Test team.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
'It is one of those things that every day, often, you are having small conversations about it'
Dates like 9/11 should never be allowed to pass by forgotten because terrorism is not to be borne, inhumanity is not to borne.
Aware that guiding an age-group outfit is vastly different from helming a ruthlessly result-oriented international outfit, India's new head coach Rahul Dravid wants to strike a fine balance between winning every game and building a team for the future.
India captain Virat Kohli has reached to within one point of top-ranked Steve Smith in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after his imperious 254 not out in the second Test against South Africa in Pune.
Former opener Sunil Gavaskar predicted an India win by a 4-0 or 3-1 margin, depending on the weather, adding that the visitors would emerge victorious anyway as England is depleted without the likes of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
The International Cricket Council has asked its member boards to ensure that visiting sides get to prepare in playing conditions at par with the ones provided to the home team, emphasising on net bowlers and training pitches.
'Ghost-like stands repel rather than attract audiences,' observes Ashis Ray.
'The confidence and the kind of cricket India has played in the recent past will be a big factor.'
Not just the 40 points, India will also be eyeing a 3-0 whitewash in the Gandhi-Mandela series.
Boult, De Grandhomme cleared to travel to Perth for first Test against Australia
Hat-trick man Jasprit Bumrah attains highest rating points by an India seamer since since Kapil Dev in 1981.
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