'With the amount of Test cricket in particular this year, didn't feel like it was the right time'
'Unlike before, the players cannot just go out in the evenings after a long day in the field. This is where it is very important that the families are there to help the players switch off after play and not feel the heat. The BCCI has always had the interest of the players in mind and this time too the board stood like a rock to help get the necessary clearance from the UK government with assistance from the ECB.'
Easwaran opened up on his hopes from the UK tour and what he has learned from the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma by watching them closely in the India nets.
'Excellent setting for an intra-squad match simulation here in Southampton.'
The West Indies series will take place right after the 2019 ODI World Cup and the tour will also comprise three ODIs and as many T20s. India are also set to host the West Indies for three Tests, five ODIs and three T20s later this year.
'I am particularly happy that an Indian has done such a superb job as the coach because people always talk about foreign coaches, but Shastri has dashed all those views.'
India captain KL Rahul said he trusted his batting unit to do the job for the side despite losing seven wickets while chasing a modest 145 on day four of the second and final Test against Bangladesh.
The legendary Sachin Tendulkar says the current England team is in complete awe of India's world-class seam attack with only its skipper Joe Root looking capable of getting a big hundred.
It was Virat Kohli's fourth unsuccessful attempt to lead India to an ICC title
A look at the newly-laid dark coloured Chepauk track is an indication that unlike the strip used during the first Test, this one will offer turn earlier than expected.
Former and current players took to Twitter to extend wishes to Ravi Shastri
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Sunday.
India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
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.
Rain is likely to play spoilsport in the third and final T20I of the three-match series between India and South Africa.
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.
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.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson speaks about the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship final between his team and India.
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.
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'
Ajinkya Rahane rubbished all the claims which stated that sometimes the emphasis is on the money in the IPL rather than the game.
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.
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.
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.
'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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
'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.'
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".
'It is one of those things that every day, often, you are having small conversations about it'
