Captain Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara made centuries and shared a stand of 226 to put India on course for a big first-innings total against England on the first day of the second Test on Thursday. - Scorecard: Kohli was unbeaten on 151 and Ravichandran Ashwin on one as India reached 317 for four at the close after winning the toss in the first ever Test match in the port city of Visakhapatnam.
Pujara stood tall in a defiant 47 off 102 balls even as Sri Lanka pacers made full use of the overcast conditions to run through the Indian batting line-up.
The 19-year-old Samson and 26-year-old Karn were rewarded for consistent performances in the domestic circuit as well as India 'A' engagements.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
Pacer Ollie Robinson destroyed India's batting line-up with a five-wicket haul to power England to a huge victory by an innings and 76 runs, on Day 4 of the third Test, at Leeds on Saturday.
Pacer Craig Overton says England still hold all the aces going into Day 4 of the third Test against India, at Headingley, Leeds, on Saturday.
Arvind Pujara, who usually does not go to watch any Test in which his son Cheteshwar plays, says he is "very keen" to be at the SCA Stadium from Day One.
South Africa have often relied on fast bowlers on spicy home wickets to get them to victory, but are also well aware that India have developed an excellent pace attack that has brought them overseas success in the last few years.
Mayank Agarwal notched up his second hundred in as many Tests and combined with Cheteshwar Pujara to set up a platform for India to post a big first-innings total against South Africa in the second Test.
Images from Day 1 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Thursday.
Pant climbs seven places for in career-best Test rank.
'I am happy people are talking about me -- I always believe people talk about important people. I am not too concerned about that. It is all about contribution for the team.'
Statistical highlights on day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur on Saturday.
Umpires' poor performance comes to the fore even as India's stand against DRS costs them dear
Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who has been rested for the upcoming limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, is confirmed to make his county cricket debut for Worcestershire this season.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli's collective failures against the moving ball in England has given rise to doubts about their class and ability and if they are the answer to India's search for batting solidity in the absence of their retired heroes.
The All-India Senior Selection Committee of the BCCI has picked the squads for India's upcoming series against New Zealand and Bangladesh
New Zealand's Mumbai-born left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel is relishing every bit of his dream homecoming after grabbing all the four wickets during the first day's play against India in the second Test, on Friday.
Australia's blockbuster four-Test series against India will be the greatest challenge Pat Cummins has faced in his young captaincy as he looks to conquer the "final frontier".
'It's the communication, both of us have been playing Test cricket for a long time. Especially me and him -- we are playing (only) this format particularly and we have spent a lot time not just on field by talking about this format' 'To be very honest I was hoping to get a double hundred. They had so many runs on board. I thought it will help the team if I could get a double hundred'
Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara said that his team's bowling performances in the first Test versus England was up to the mark and they should not be too disappointed with the 198-run world record stand for the last wicket between Joe Root and James Anderson in Nottingham.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI in the first Test against Australia?
'Everyone in the contingent will be undergoing 14-day quarantine in India'
Pujara scored an unbeaten 130 as India finished day one at 303 for four.
Pant bludgeoned four sixes and nine fours in his innings of 96 in 97 deliveries as India reached 357 for six
Images from Day 2 in the first Test between England and India, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Thursday.
New Zealand's 6-foot-8-inch pace sensation Kyle Jamieson's father savours his son's memorable Test debut against India in which he snared 3 for 38 on Day 1 of the first Test.
Responding to the flak he received for his racist jokes on Indian players made on air during the course of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia, O'Keeffe said his jokes were interpreted wrongly
The spotlight will, however, continue to be on the 33-year-old Kohli in Mohali with the contest against Sri Lanka being his 100th Test match for the country.
India's captain Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad, with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter.
Former wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel said India have all the 'bases covered' for the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand, to be played in Southampton from June 18 to 22.
Pujara termed Melbourne hundred as an 'important knock' while rating the Adelaide ton as a 'special knock' since it came in a winning cause.
India captain Virat Kohli has defended the selection of Rohit Sharma in the first Test.
Team India's throwdown specialist D Raghavendra has skipped travelling to the UAE with the rest of the support staff as he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Images from Day 3 of the fourth and final Test in Delhi, on Saturday.
India's batting sensation Cheteshwar Pujara climbed two places to the fifth spot, while Virat Kohli slipped a position to No 11 in the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Monday.
Statistical highlights of the opening day in the first Test between India and England, in Motera, Ahmedabad, on Thursday.
Two more failures in two home games could effectively mean end of the road for Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading India in the first Test in Kanpur, starting on Thursday.
Sitharaman, who was giving her 2021-22 Budget Speech, started off by giving a special shout out to what the Indian team
Cheteshwar Pujara continues to be the only Indian batsman in the top-20 list as he has managed to maintain his sixth spot, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the highest-ranked bowler at number eight, in the latest ICC Test rankings issued in Dubai.
