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England will host India in the first game of the five-match Test series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from Wednesday, August 4.
India’s much-awaited tour of England is all set to get underway this Wednesday as both the teams clash at Trent Bridge in the first Test. The five-match series will have enormous importance for both the sides, which also marks the beginning of the next World Test Championship cycle.
England would want to give it back to India for their 1-3 loss in India earlier this year while winning this series could cement the current Indian team’s legacy as one of the best Test teams of all time.
The England Test side has been vulnerable at home, losing quite a few matches in recent times. They also lost the last Test series at home against New Zealand by 1-0. They’ve been dealt major blows with the absence of Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes due to injuries. Their most valuable player Ben Stokes will also be unavailable as he has taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on mental health and healing of left index finger.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian team might have lost the World Test Championship final against NZ in June but they’re still a force to reckon with. After beating Australia in Australia, India’s next target is conquering England. Their first choice opening batter Shubman Gill was ruled out of the series due to an injury while replacement players Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav won’t be able to travel to the UK due to recent COVID outbreak in India’s squad in Sri Lanka.
The series could be hit by several injury and covid related instances but one thing for sure is that the series is going to be mouthwatering. The last time these two teams faced each other at Trent Bridge, India had emerged victorious by 203 runs.
Key Players
Virat Kohli had produced one of the best series performances the last time India toured England in 2018 to redeem himself from the 2014 ghosts. Kohli had scored 593 runs in five matches averaging 59.3, including two hundreds and three fifties. Although he hasn’t scored a ton since late 2019, he has shown his class time and again with some outstanding knocks. The England series could be the series he gets back at his absolute best. Kohli has a stellar record in Test cricket, scoring 7547 runs at an average of 52 with 27 centuries.
Joe Root has been England’s best batter for almost a decade. However, his numbers at home in recent years have been a major concern for the team. For a side that is so inexperienced and vulnerable in these conditions, Joe Root needs to produce better performances. Now with Stokes’ unavailability, he will have even bigger responsibility. The England skipper has been in great form this year, scoring 891 runs in eight matches at an average of 56. In his overall Test career, Joe Root has scored 8714 runs at an average of 49 with 20 hundreds.
Jasprit Bumrah is India’s premier fast bowler, who became the leader of the bowling attack in a very quick time. Bumrah had an incredible first couple of years in Test cricket, dismantling teams with his pace, variations and movement. The pacer has picked 14 scalps in three games in the last series in England. However, Bumrah hasn’t been near his best since he has returned from the injury. Since 2020, he has taken 21 wickets at an average of 34.95. It could fast become a concern for team India. Overall, Bumrah has 83 wickets in 20 matches at 23.21 runs per wicket.
James Anderson became the most capped Test player for England just recently. Such is the greatness and fitness level of this man, Jimmy Anderson has only gotten better with age. He also entered the 1000-wicket club in FC cricket last month. In England’s helpful conditions, Anderson is the most difficult bowler to face. He has picked 387 wickets in England alone at an average of 24.18. Overall, Anderson has 617 wickets to his name at an average of 26.67 and is two scalps away from becoming the third highest wicket-taker of all time.
Prediction
India and England have enjoyed a good rivalry in the last couple of decades. Both the teams have won the last two Test series at their respective home.
This time around, two teams are looking evenly matched and India have a real chance of a series victory. Both the teams have extremely potent bowling attacks for English conditions with the likes of Anderson, Broad, Bumrah, Shami, and Ishant in action. How the two batting units fare will decide the outcome.
England are heavily depleted with Stokes’ unavailability, who is currently their best batter at home and offers a great balance to the side. India, on the other hand, looks slightly more stable in the batting department. Expect India to defeat the hosts at Trent Bridge to take an early lead.
