The five-match Test series against India at home will be a massive Test for England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
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.
Yashasvi Jaiswal wanted to be more consistent on his first tour of England but drew immense satisfaction from his second-innings ton on a "spicy" pitch at The Oval to help India set a massive 374-run target in the fifth Test.
Joe Root was at the center of an unexpected on-field spat with India's Prasidh Krishna, as tempers flared during a high-stakes second day at The Oval.
India bowled England out for 218 and cruised to 135/1 in their robust reply to seize early control of the fifth and final test.
Jadeja consolidates as world No 1 Test all-rounder, Abhishek Sharma is top ranked T20I batter
After India captain Shubman Gill had scored another masterful century at Edgbaston, India fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj blew away England's top order.
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.
Ravichandran Ashwin became the second Indian bowler after former skipper Anil Kumble to take 500 Test wickets.
Joe Root and Harry Brook's centuries powered England's strong reply on Day 3 of the first Test in Multan.
India equal England's first-innings score of 387 with Test in balance
India finished Day 3 on 90/2 to lead England by 96 runs at stumps in the opening Test on Sunday after England were dismissed for 465 in the first innings.
Siraj, Krishna, Akash Shine as India's Pace Future Takes Shape
He has taken nine five-wicket hauls in SENA conditions.
'I told Jassi bhai, If I take five wickets, who should I hug?'
'We want pace on the ball, we want the ball to bounce and we want the ball to carry through so that when we're batting, we can be aggressive, we can attack, and we can put pressure back on the bowlers.'
The five-match Test series against India at home is a massive test for England's 'Bazball' brand of cricket under skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
Akash Deep, India's latest debutant, put on an exhibition of clever bowling in his opening spell on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Ranchi to rock the England batting.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will make their red-ball debuts for England in the first of the three-match home series
'His hands are quite sore. We want to get his confidence back up.'
Images from Day 3 of the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi on Sunday, February 25.
England were in command on 30/1 at tea after bowling West Indies out for 121 on the opening day of the first Test.
Siraj was the day's hero and India have pulled ahead, but England are not out of the contest by any stretch of imagination.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test between England and India at Headingley in Leeds on Saturday.
Fast bowlers Lutho Sipamla and Hardus Vijoen ripped through the Sunrisers Eastern Cape batting line-up to power Joburg Super Kings to a dominant nine-wicket bonus point victory.
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape came up with a clinical performance with both bat and ball to register a 58-run bonus victory over Durban Super Giants in the SA20 match at Kingsmead.
England captain Ben Stokes will play in The Hundred this year after the conclusion of England's test series with West Indies.
England batting legend Alastair Cook lauded star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah for his magnificent six-wicket haul in the second Test against Three Lions, saying that he changed the course of the game single-handedly and "ripped the heart out of England batting line-up".
India pacer Prasidh Krishna relished the banter with 'good mate' Joe Root on Day 2 of the fifth and final Test, and said riling up England's batting mainstay was part of the team's plans.
Kuldeep Yadav wrecked England's top order and fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin polished off the tail to bundle out England in just over two sessions.
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.
The tourists had risked a defeat inside three days after India, having built a lead of 190, reduced England to 163-5 in their second innings in the second session of the day.
"If anyone doubted he was ever a team man, they got to see it first-hand today. That requires more than just steel," Shastri said in a video posted by the BCCI on its website.
The opening batter felt the surface is a lot better than the turner in Hyderabad and it was just the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah that made the difference.
Images from Day 4 of the fifth Test between England and India at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
England must win the fourth Test in Manchester to keep the series alive ahead of the fifth Test at the Oval in London.
England on Sunday named their strongest available squad for the Ashes tour to Australia as all-rounders Ben Stokes and Sam Curran missed out but seamer Stuart Broad was included despite the calf injury he picked up in the Test series against India.
Having conceded a lead of 259, England were all out for 195 in the second session on day three of the contest.
England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.
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