A five-match Test series between England and India begins in Leeds on Friday.
It will be the first assignment of a new Test cycle, with India making a fresh start having failed to make it to the World Test Championship final.
Shubman Gill has been named the Test captain following the sudden retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
We take a look at what all is at stake for the Indian team.
No Virat Kohli, no buzz?
Late last year, reports emerged of tickets for the opening Test of the five-match series being sold out. It did not take a genius to figure out the reason behind it – Virat Kohli and possibly his final red-ball tour of England.
At that point, India were poised to make it to the WTC final and possibly give a grand farewell to one of the greatest cricketers produced by the country.
But in the intervening months, India's cricket world turned upside down. A disastrous Test tour of Australia pushed India out of the race for the WTC final and hastened the retirement of spin great Ravichandran Ashwin. And, shockingly, also of Kohli and Rohit from the Test format.
The absence of Kohli in particular is being felt, as there is a palpable lack of buzz. India's cricket fans had grown so accustomed to having superstars around the team; the sudden departure of Kohli and Rohit has taken a lot of stardust off the red-ball side.
Had either one of them been in England, it would have been a different story. But the fact is that new Test captain Gill does not have enough of a fanbase in India, so don’t expect those in England to fervently rally around the side under him.
Gill thrown into the deep end
By all counts, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was going to become the next Test captain, as he is easily the most valuable red-ball player in the country. But given his poor recent fitness record, the selectors looked beyond him.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was the next logical option, as he is a guaranteed starter in the format and accustomed to leadership role. If not him, then possibly KL Rahul. But the Indian management went in a different direction and picked Gill, a player who is not a proven match winner, nor is he the best batter in the side, or even the undisputed leader.
The selectors have gone really long-term here, as there are very few pressing reasons to make him the Test captain right now. Still, he has a more than capable squad, and England are not exactly world beaters, yet. So if Gill leads India to a respectable result, it would be a tremendous achievement and earn him the respect of the dressing room and doubters.
Who after Bumrah?
The next big question facing Indian cricket is – who after Bumrah? Not only in the bowling line-up but also in the coming years. Mohammad Siraj was the natural successor up until recently, but a lukewarm tour of Australia saw him slide a few steps down the pecking order of Indian fast bowling.
Mohammad Shami should have been the leader of the pack, but injuries seem to have set him back for good.
Left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh offers great variety and has emerged as the most potent alternative for English conditions. Right-arm quick Prasidh Krishna has made giant strides since his comeback from injury, turning up the heat in the IPL and offering a serious hit-the-deck option.
Right-arm pacer Akashdeep is another quality replacement for Shami, and should receive additional workload in the Test series as Bumrah is expected to feature in no more than three Tests due to workload management.
One fast bowler will need to step up to the challenge as it is going to be a long series, with the assumption that Bumrah’s Test career is now nearing its end.
Persistence pays off for Nair
Batting is where India will have to focus a lot of their energies, as they have lost two stalwarts together. Captain Gill needs to prove himself as a leader and also top-order batter against a good attack in seaming conditions.
The bulk of the responsibility, however, will fall on the shoulders of Rahul, who showed excellent technique and composure on really difficult wickets during the Test series defeat in Australia.
Vice-captain Pant will bat the only way he knows – attack – and it has frankly worked out for him.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is, in fact, the most bankable batter in the team across conditions. But the middle order is a bit too fluid, which is why the selection of Karun Nair, who was famously dropped soon after scoring a triple century against England in 2016, is interesting.
Nair has piled on the runs in domestic cricket across formats and divisions - he averaged more than 56 in the County Championship for Northants the previous season – forcing his way into the side as other younger players like Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel have not quite set the stage alight.
At 33 and with more than 100 first-class games under his belt, Nair can be backed to do the heavy lifting and also tackle tricky conditions; something the other, more flamboyant, batters in the team might not have the ability to do.
If nothing else, at least this is great reward for the years of toil in domestic cricket after becoming the forgotten man of Indian cricket.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
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Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
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The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
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UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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