India’s home season kicks-off in full swing come Monday as India and England start a 5-Test series that will stretch over the next six weeks.
The two teams will battle for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after the former BCCI Administrator. England hold the trophy currently after they won the last series played between the two teams; in 2012, when an England side – containing Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar, James Anderson among others – visited India and clinched the 4-Test series 2-1.
India begin the series as overwhelming favourites; they are the number one ranked team in the ICC Test rankings and are unbeaten at home for nearly four years.
England though are a formidable side as well. They were contenders to be number one in the ICC Test rankings not too long ago. Remember also, they are the only visiting side to win a Test series in India in the last twelve years.
However, they come into this series against India at the back of a shock defeat to Bangladesh. The 2-Test series in Bangladesh exposed England’s frailties against spin. Off the 40 wickets England lost in the Test series in Bangladesh, 38 were to spinners and only one was to a quick bowler.
Against India, in conditions which are expected to definitely assist the spinners, England face a huge challenge against the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, who have destroyed opponents in the last few home series.
Both teams will be without the services of a few key personnel and hence the onus will be on the experienced players picked to shoulder more responsibility. On the batting front, England will rely heavily on two players in particular – Alastair Cook and Joe Root – who are deemed to be best equipped to deal with the challenges posed by the spinners.
The first Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot – which will become the 23rd venue in India to host Test matches - will be a milestone match for the England captain, for he will surpass Michael Atherton’s record to become England’s most-capped Test captain.
In a team that has shown its deficiencies against spinners, Cook needs to show the way; no visiting player has scored more runs in the sub-continent than Cook, and he needs to draw from that experience and demonstrate to the rest of his team how to score runs in the sub-continent.
On the bowling front, England will – at least at the start of the series – miss the services of their premier new ball bowler James Anderson. And therefore the onus of being the leader of the attack falls on the shoulders of Stuart Broad. The Rajkot Test will also be a special match for Stuart Broad, for it will be his 100th Test match. It is incredible to know that Broad, who will become the 14th England cricketer to play 100 Test matches, will be the fourth youngest cricketer ever to play 100 Test matches.
Possible XIs:
India: Murali Vijay, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami.
In the reserves: Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Umesh Yadav.
England: Alastair Cook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Zafar Ansari, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes.
In the reserves: Jake Ball, Gareth Batty, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Haseeb Hameed.
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