Aiming to achieve a rare glory of winning a Test series in Australia and England in the same year, Indian are about to commence its campaign in a five-match Test series against Joe Root’s men, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
It has been 14 years since India have won a Test series on English soil. In the three subsequent series, they have won two Tests, drawn one, and lost 11. But considering their recent red-ball record in foreign conditions, especially back-to-back series wins in Australia, and the current vulnerability in the England camp, India have been branded as the favourites ahead of this high-profile series.
The Indian team came to England about two months ago for the much-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final. After losing that final to New Zealand, they took a break to recharge their batteries ahead of their first assignment in the second WTC cycle.
In between, some of their players have suffered injuries and have been ruled out of the tour. Rishabh Pant tested positive for Covid-19 and missed the only warm-up game, in Durham. Mayank Agarwal, who was supposed to open in this Test with Rohit Sharma, was hit on the head during a net session and ruled out of this Test match.
The visitors now have to pick a makeshift opener for the game, and one of K.L. Rahul and Hanuma Vihari is likely to get that slot. The team management can also ask Cheteshwar Pujara to open, like he did in the second innings of the warm-up game, By doing that, they can accommodate an extra all-rounder in the XI.
Remember, the last time India played a Test match at Trent Bridge, the all-round skills of Hardik Pandya won them the match.
The absence of Ben Stokes, who pulled out of the series due to mental health issues, will disturb the balance of the England line-up. When Stokes was absent against New Zealand earlier this summer, England played four seamers bowlers and left out Jack Leach. They may go ahead with the same combination on a greenish surface at Trent Bridge.
On the batting front, Ollie Pope is a doubt with a quad injury. If he is ruled out, Jonny Bairstow is set for a recall. There are some concerns surrounding Rory Burns’ fitness; if he does not make it, Haseeb Hameed is likely to make a comeback in the XI.
Head to head:
Out of the 126 Test matches between these two team, India have won 29, drawn 48 and lost 48.
– There is a fair bit of green on the surface. Fast bowlers from both teams are expected to get plenty of help. So, pick as many pace bowlers as possible to maximise bowling points.
– On the batting front, Virat Kohli is due for a three-figure score for a while now. You can pick him as captain. Joe Root, who is also under pressure to perform after the home series defeat against New Zealand, can be another option.
– Watch out for the likes of Ollie Robinson and Sam Curran. Both are handy bowling all-rounders and capable of fetching a lot of points. You can even make Robinson the vice-captain.
Likely XIs:
England: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Jonny Bairstow, Dan Lawrence, Jos Buttler (wk), Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood/Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
India: Rohit Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Prediction:
India have a poor track record when it comes to the first Test match of an overseas tour. However, on this occasion there may be an exception.