Ind vs Eng Series Preview

The past few months had been captured by IPL followed by a string of mishaps in India as well as across the globe. Even the IPL had to pause owing to a War like situation between India and Pakistan. But a pause is the most that a sport like Cricket can afford. It paused, but in a weeks time it was up and running. So much that 10 days ago there were close to 12-14 different teams in England simultaneously to play cricket all at once! We had an excellent contest between bat and ball a week ago in the World Test Championship Final where South Africa emerged victorious. It was a final but it also served as a warm-up to the Test Cricket season which lies ahead of us. And now it's almost time for the 1st Test between England and India to begin. Maybe this is a bit late for a preview but nonetheless I have some views about this series which I would like to share with you all.

Indian Test team is going through a transition and two big names have hung up their boots from the longest format. An opener in Rohit has retired which might have opened the door for the long standing backup opener in Easwaran but as we saw in Australia, Rahul is getting promoted and now I feel that until the time he retires, Rahul should open the batting for India in tests. He has been thrown up and down the order many times and I think it's time to fix a position for him. With Jaiswal and Rahul to open, Gill at 4 and Pant at 5, either of Sudarshan, Karun Nair and Easwaran will slot in the 3rd and 6th spot. It will be very unfortunate for Easwaran if he is overlooked as he has waited for years to get a chance. Gill has not yet evolved into the batter that everyone thought he would. Now with the responsibility of leading this team, it is time for him to lead from the front and elevate his game to the next level. Pant would have come off a very poor run of form in IPL if not for his century in the last league game of his franchise. Him with Rahul and Jadeja are the ones who have decent experience of batting in England. Along with them, Jaiswal and Gill have to do bulk of the scoring and a lot will be expected off these 5. From Sudharshan, Nair and Easwaran, whomever the chance of playing is given to, the chance of failing should also be given to them.

In all likelihood Bumrah is going to play only 3 matches so in the matches he will not play, the onus is on Siraj to lead the attack in absence of Shami. Bumrah is rarely off the mark and we will hope that this series is no different whenever he plays. Siraj hasn't been impressive in Tests off late, but he has had a good rest prior to IPL and a good IPL as well. This series might bring the best out of him. India has taken along many fast bowlers to England. So choosing the 3rd pacer will be the difficult task. Prasidh is in good form but looking at the conditions and for the variation he brings with the left arm angle, it is very tempting to go with Arshdeep. He has had a stint in County Cricket where he performed well which might just go in his favour. Jadeja is likely to play as the lone spinner unless the pitch looks dry and if the possibility of spin emerges, it will bring Kuldeep Yadav into the picture. One of Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy will make it to the starting 11. Shardul might have a slight advantage over Reddy owing to his prior experience and performance in the host country. Overall, on paper it looks like all the bases are covered but what will matter is how the inexperience will affect the performances of these promising players.

Moving on to England, while I type this, the playing XI is already announced. There are no surprises there and it looks like a very very formidable team. If you compare man to man, England has more experience on their side and they have been effective in their home conditions. Although for the "Bazball" to work, pitches might not be as conducive to swing as generally seen in England, which may as well aid India. Duckett and Crawley are both aggressive as well as solid. Pope can be vulnerable initially but if he is set, he can be dangerous. In Root, there is the best in form Test Batter of the past couple of years. Brook and Stokes are very bankable and have been prolific. From whatever I have seen of Jamie Smith, he looks to be a very assured and strong batsman. Although in the early parts of his career, he doesn't look nervy and by no means is an easy wicket. There is some inexperience in the bowling apart from Woakes. Carse and Tongue are good but inexperienced. If India have to give themselves a chance, the batsman have to capitalise on the inexperience of English bowlers. Bashir is a good bowler but he takes time to get into a rhythm. Picking the opportunities and attacking him can be a good option for Indians. Woakes is coming back after a long time but he is extremely accurate and very effective at home. He is a more than handy batsman and has fond memories against India so he will be looking forward to this series.

The pitch at Headingley is expected to be on the flatter side to suit England's aggressive batting approach. There are few chances of rain during the game but other than that the temperature is expected to rise throughout the course of the match which will keep the surface dry and flat. 

So, before the first ball of the series is bowled, if you ask me then I would say that it is Advantage England. England has a much more settled side with decent experience. India on the other hand lacks experience of playing in these conditions and is in the process of building a new team. It will be interesting to see if England can continue with their aggressive approach and whether this transitioning young Indian team can tackle the aggression and dominate the opposition.