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HIGHLIGHTS

  • England are all set to host India in the first of 5 Tests in the series at Trent Bridge from Aug. 4
  • India lost 4-1 the last time they played Tests in England under Virat Kohli in 2018
  • India will look to win their first Test series in England since their 2007 triumph under Rahul Dravid

The much-awaited Test series between England and India is finally going to get underway at Trent Bridge on Wednesday which will also kick-start the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).

Team India has had to overcome a number of challenges, from Covid-19 to injuries, even before the first ball of the five-match series is bowled but the visitors will look to put behind all that and focus on the challenge at hand when they take the field in Nottingham on August 4.

The last time these two teams met in England, the hosts won the series 4-1. What the scoreline didn’t reflect was how close the 5 Tests actually were.

Virat Kohli’s team gave it their all against Joe Root’s side three years ago and would be looking to do the same this year, but India will also need the rub of the green to go their way to win their first Test series in England since 2007.

INJURIES HAMPER INDIA’S PREPARATION

India’s tour of England has been full of challenges already owing to the multiple injuries in their camp which forced the team management to call up Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw as replacements.

Shubman Gill was the first casualty and returned home after the WTC Final due to a hamstring injury which ruled him out of action for the entire England series. Spinner Washington Sundar and pacer Avesh Khan then suffered injuries in the practice match against County XI and were subsequently, ruled out as well.

Surya and Shaw meanwhile, had to delay their departure to England due to the mandatory quarantine in Colombo where they were identified as two of the 8 close contacts of Covid-positive Krunal Pandya. The duo will only be available from the third Test after completing a 10-day isolation period in England.

But the biggest blow came on August 2 when opener Mayank Agarwal got hit on the head and suffered a concussion which has ruled him out of the first Test. Agarwal’s injury might see his good friend and fellow opener KL Rahul play his first Test in almost two years.

INDIA VS ENGLAND HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

India have a poor Test record in England having won just 7 and lost 34 games out of 62 with 21 draws till date. They have won just 3 out of 18 Test series in England with the last triumph coming 14 years ago under Rahul Dravid.

GRASSY TRENT BRIDGE PITCH AWAITS BATSMEN

The overall conditions are expected to be typically English with swing and seam bowlers playing a major role in the Test match. Both teams have world-class fast bowlers in their arsenal but England will have an edge being the hosts with James Anderson and Stuart Broad headlining their attack.

India have an all-round bowling attack in Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav along with Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja but the team management might not opt to play both spinners. They are a little short in terms of swing bowlers, something which plagued the team in the WTC Final defeat against New Zealand in Southampton in June.

Anderson hinted on Monday that the groundsman will leave a fair bit of grass on the pitch and with overhead conditions expected to be cold and overcast, batsmen can expect to face trial by swing from both ends for majority of the game.

IND BATSMEN VS ENG BOWLERS

The moving ball remains a problem area for the Indian batsmen which was once again exposed by Tim Southee and Trent Boult in the WTC Final. Anderson, Broad and even Sam Curran will look to dish out the same treatment in the upcoming matches therefore, the visitors need to iron out their issues as soon as possible.

The problem lies at the very top for India as the likes of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and even Virat Kohli suffered big time in June. Batting let India down in the WTC Final and that will surely be an area of concern which they would look to address on top priority.

FORM GUIDE

This is one area where India have an edge over England even though the hosts are coming into this series as the favourites.

The WTC Final was a rare blemish in India’s record in their last cycle which saw them win 12 out of 17 Tests between August 2019 and June 2021. India lost just 4 games, drew 1 and registered away series wins in Australia and West Indies.

England on the other hand, played 21 Tests in the WTC and registered 11 wins, 7 losses and 3 draws to finish 5th in the championship table. They recently suffered a humiliating defeat against New Zealand at home just before the WTC Final which exposed the glaring weaknesses in their Test squad, something which India should look to exploit as well

Author

India today

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