Sai Sudharsan made the opportunity count in his comeback game with a fifty while Rishabh Pant suffered another injury as India played the old-fashioned way to reach 264 for four at stumps on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Manchester on Wednesday.
Jofra Archer will play his first Test in more than four years as he replaces fellow seamer Josh Tongue for the third Test at Lord's.
England last won the Ashes in 2015 and have not won a series in Australia since 2011 but Root was optimistic about their chances this time around.
Spin great Anil Kumble praised Nitish Kumar Reddy's showing with the ball on Day 1 of the Lord's Test on Thursday.
Archer, who has taken 42 wickets in 13 Tests, made his first appearance in a first-class match in four years on Sunday in the County Championship with Sussex.
'I knew that I'd be playing in these games and potentially in the World Cup.'
'Dad played the biggest role in my cricket, coached me all the way through and sort of let me go as I got into my older teenage years, but (he) would always shoot a message (like) 'put the reverse sweep away'.'
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri outlined the quality of Steve Smith that has always amazed him, and expects the captaincy for the first Ashes Test in Perth to bring the best out of him.
Stuart Broad said the defending champions will miss his aura but have enough resources to replace him as a player.
Shubman Gill's coin toss woes continued on Wednesday as the India skipper lost his fourth straight toss in the ongoing Test series against England -- extending India's incredible run of 14 consecutive toss defeats across formats in international cricket.
'There are times when you have scoreboard pressure and a lot of runs to chase down, and that's when our approach and how we want to go about things really comes out.'
England have only drawn one from 35 Tests in the McCullum-Stokes regime, with one of their exhilarating run chases in that spell coming when they reached 378 against India in 2022 -- the only time India have lost when defending Test totals of more than 350.
Joe Root produced a batting masterclass on way to a milestone 38th hundred as England exploited a jaded Indian bowling attack to stamp their dominance on the fourth Test in Manchester.
Australia captain Steve Smith has declined to rule out a surprise return for fast bowler Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test against England.
Minnows Tripura shocked a team full of cash-rich IPL stars by 12 runs in a Group D match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, in Ahmedabd, on Tuesday.
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.
One of England's heaviest Test defeats could not shake Ben Stokes' conviction in their high-risk approach and the touring skipper believes they can still win the five-Test series in India.
Boycott defends Jadeja, Sundar for declining draw offer; slams England's bowling
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
England have named two uncapped players in Essex duo Sam Cook and Jordan Cox in the squad for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge later this month.
England bowling coach Tim Southee praised the depth and quality of the Indian Test side after a commanding performance by the visitors on Day 1
Greg Chappell said that the Indian management should have sent a clear message to Ravindra Jadeja to hit boundaries and go for the win instead of looking to play out time, during the third Test against England at Lord's.
Besides the surface, the behaviour of the Dukes has also come under scanner with the softer ball hardly offering anything to the bowlers.
England batter Harry Brook has cautioned against underestimating Australia in the Ashes series, even as doubts linger over the availability of their captain and fast bowler, Pat Cummins, for the opener in Perth.
England captain Ben Stokes said fast bowler Jofra Archer is 100 percent ready to play his first Test since February 2021.
Steve Smith said the decision to drop Nathan Lyonwas taken to strengthen the pace-bowling department.
'...he's not shown any obvious signs of dismissal and he's played stylishly.'
Stokes ton helps England beat Netherlands, end World Cup losing run
India and England players will push their tired bodies on the line with everything to play for in the fifth and final Test starting at The Oval on Thursday
'I don't know, I've never seen something like that before, so I have no idea.'
A look at some of the major controversies in past World Cups.
The former India wicketkeeper believes the game still had some cricket left in it and that India had earned the right to continue batting.
Archer has not picked up a red cricket ball since May 2021 for Sussex after a series of injuries kept delaying his return.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide on Sunday.
Washington Sundar's double strike pegged England back in the afternoon session, leaving them struggling 175/6 at tea on Day 4 of the third Test, at Lord's.
Head coach Brendon McCullum and spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel were seen having a long conversation with Ali.
Traditionally carved from top-quality willow, famous bat-makers, source the bulk of their willow wood from Kashmir.
Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
K L Rahul drove his way to a sublime 47 after England negated India's advantage by totalling 465 in their first innings as the visitors had another ordinary day in the field on Day 3 of the first Test in Leeds on Sunday.
India's Bumrah produced a devastating spell in the morning, dismissing Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Chris Woakes before Archer struck with his third delivery to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first test for four years.
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