Opinion
What do we look for from the India versus England Test series after that magnum opus down under?
It will be challenging for anything to surpass the kind of drama, the performances and the results that the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy produced.
Here are the top three things I will be looking out for from this India versus England series.
India’s non-Ashwin spin options at home
India’s fast bowling reserves proved themselves brilliantly in Australia. Now, with Ravindra Jadeja missing out on this home series, it is time for the spin bowling reserves to step up and show their depth.
It is still unclear who Virat Kohli will pick to accompany Ravichandran Ashwin as the second and the third spinner. Kuldeep Yadav looks more or less sure to play in the first Test as the second spinner, while the third spinner will be a call between Washington Sundar and Axar Patel.
Sundar is coming off a hugely impressive performance at The Gabba. He is an off-spinner and the fact he bowls very similarly to Ashwin might work against him, now that Ashwin is back in the team. Axar is a left-arm orthodox spinner and a decent batsman. He can be looked at as a like for like replacement for Jadeja.
I will pick Axar, as the other spinners, Ashwin and Kuldeep, bring the ball back into the right-hander.
Apart from who is picked, my interest lies in seeing how well the spin reserves perform in this series. The pitch conditions will favour them in Chennai and Ahmedabad.
Apart from Root, the rest of the English line-up are yet to prove themselves against quality spin bowling. If the pitches offer some bounce, the English can’t hope to sweep their woes away.
Joe Root (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The return of Kohli
Virat had an ordinary 2020 in Test matches – he made only one 50 in the three Tests he played. However, he doesn’t have to look further than his fellow ‘Big Four’ batsman, Joe Root, for inspiration.
Root scored back-to-back hundreds in Sri Lanka to rejoin the best Test batsman debate, after having endured an ordinary run in the previous few years. Virat looked in fine touch during his stay in Australia.
I won’t be surprised if Virat chooses this home series to get back to his high-scoring ways.
Jofra Archer in India
Archer has the express pace, stamina and a disconcerting bouncer, which will allow him to succeed in India.
Archer’s bouncers on a low-bounce Indian pitch will be hard to get away. In recent series down under, we saw that the Australian pacers caused a lot more bodily harm in Sydney than in Brisbane or Adelaide.
Indian pitches are graveyards for medium-pace bowlers, but not for express-fast bowlers. Coming alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Jofra can provide the X-factor to this series’ English attack.
Root will use Archer in short bursts and give him the license to bowl full throttle every time.
The performance of the English pace bowlers will determine the success of their team in this series.
If the India batsmen face the English spinners after a good start, I don’t see them succeeding in India.
Anderson, Broad and Archer will need to get top-order wickets cheaply for England to have any chance to succeed in this India series.
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