An injury-plagued India could be forced to depart from their preferred template when they takes on a reinvigorated England in the fourth Test starting in Manchester on Wednesday.
A win against Sri Lanka will put them firmly in contention for a semi-final berth but England's best batsman Joe Root was forthright in his assessment that his team has not been able to play "best cricket" in the tournament so far. "If we're being honest, we've not done one part of our game consistently well. Times we've bowled extremely well and when we've batted well. The exciting thing for me is, when that comes together we'll be a very hard side to beat," Root told mediapersons ahead of their final group league game against Sri Lanka on Saturday. But he also admitted that finding ways to win is the key, which they have done in the last two matches. "We have not performed at our best throughout the competition, which in a way is quite exciting because we know that's still to come. The really pleasing thing for me is we're finding ways of winning games of cricket. As long as we can continue to do that, all we can worry about is making sure we get that win on Saturday and give ourselves the best chance of qualifying," said Root. Even if England win, they need to keep a track of other matches and Root said that they are keeping a tab of what's happening in the group.
Stokes, the leading wicket-taker of the series with 17 scalps, will be a mere spectator at The Oval, robbing the series finale of his charismatic on-field presence.
After taking a first innings lead of 233 on Friday before conceding three quick wickets, England batted throughout the day to reach 333 for five at the close with Joe Root unbeaten on 178, his second Test hundred.
India skipper Virat Kohli mocked at Joe Root's 'mic drop' celebration with his own version of the gesture but the England captain took it sportingly, saying 'it adds to the spectacle of Test cricket'.
England captain Joe Root hit a brilliant century to put his team in a strong position in their quest for a series-clinching victory on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Friday.
Joe Root plundered a superb century to defy Australia as England recovered from a poor start to post 343 for seven on the first day of the first Ashes Test on Wednesday.
Woakes returned to the test squad for the first time since July 2023 in what will be England pace great James Anderson's farewell series.
England captain Joe Root, on Tuesday, said his team has strong plans in place for Indian skipper Virat Kohli
Having conceded a lead of 259, England were all out for 195 in the second session on day three of the contest.
Brearley rated Kohli as the best batsman in world cricket and his success is largely due to his 'ruthless streak'.
He also credited SA20 for the resurgence of SA cricket in the last few years.
England cricket director Andrew Strauss gave his full backing to Test captain Alastair Cook on Tuesday and appointed Joe Root as his deputy in a significant move for the future.
India claimed an unassailable 2-0 lead over England after captain Rohit Sharma's rapid hundred secured a four-wicket win in the second one-day international on Sunday.
R Ashwin is always up for a challenge and two days from his landmark 100th Test, India's premier off-spinner looked back at the on-field battles he has enjoyed in international and domestic cricket.
Root shared a 106-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who was standing in for injured wicketkeeper Matt Prior and fell just two run short of his half century before the tourists were bowled out for 418. England's bowlers initially struggled to impose themselves on the Invitational XI, who had reached 153 for four by close of play for a lead of 39 after their first innings 304.
An unbeaten half century from Joe Root helped England into a commanding position on the third day of the first Test as they opened up a 261-run lead over South Africa on Monday.
England Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday named the playing eleven for the third Test match against India in Rajkot, with pacer Mark Wood replacing Shoaib Bashir in the playing squad.
England captain Joe Root is confident any positive COVID-19 Tests in the squad would not force the cancellation of their two-test tour of Sri Lanka this month, but said his side would have to keep a close watch on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Technique and natural pace may me Jadeja's undoing in England
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith have indulged in fiery on field exchanges early in their careers but their relationship has evolved in recent times.
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.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between India and England, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai.
Cricket Australia named Bumrah as the captain of its Test team of the year, which also features Yashasvi Jaiswal.
'Pathum Nissanka is easily one of the best batters to have come out of Sri Lanka in the recent past and he has delivered once again,' he tweeted with an applause emoji.
England must win the fourth Test in Manchester to keep the series alive ahead of the fifth Test at the Oval in London.
Defeat will severely dent both the teams' dreams of a semi-final berth in the tournament, as South Africa and Australia have already notched two points.
IMAGES from the World Cup match played between England and Afghanistan in Delhi on Sunday.
Joe Root admitted that Pant was a big factor in his side not declaring in their second innings even after the lead crossed the 400-run mark.
'We felt like we had a lot of different wicket-taking opportunities. The odd ball was staying low, we got the ball reversing a little bit, and got the odd ball to spin as well. It's never an easy position.'
England looked all but beaten when they stumbled to 117-5 in their pursuit of a 277-run target set by Pakistan in the first Test at Old Trafford but captain Joe Root felt confident about his team's battling qualities.
India's Abhishek Sharma has surged to the second spot in the ICC Men's T20I Player Rankings for batters after a stunning 135-run innings in the fifth and final T20I against England.
Washington Sundar jumped seven places to move to 46th on the same list for Test bowlers.
The waiting ends for England's new Test captain Joe Root on Thursday when he leads his side out for the start of a four-match series against South Africa at Lord's on Thursday, nearly four months after his appointment.
India will ponder whether they want to include Washington Sundar, who is quite handy with the bat or Kuldeep Yadav, who is a much better wicket-taking option.
'Let's see what you're really made of.'
Durban's Super Giants pip Pretoria Capitals
Sri Lanka's Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara offered stubborn resistance on the second day of the opening Test after Joe Root put England in control by hitting his maiden Test double ton on Friday.
The T20I and ODI squads, captained by Eoin Morgan, feature five players, Moeen, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, who were involved in the Ashes.
Babar Azam, whose cover drives have some similarities with Kohli, has enjoyed a conistent run in Tests since 2018 matching the likes of Kohli, Australia's run machine Steve Smith, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and England's Joe Root.
