5 reasons why India should watch the England-Bangladesh series closely

Prior to their much-awaited tour to India which begins in the first week of November, England will be taking on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series. The Tigers, who played their last Test more than a year ago against South Africa, have already been beaten in the ODI series and will be looking for some redemption in the longer format.

Although the Englishmen are far superior compared to the Bangladeshis in Test cricket, home advantage is one factor which puts the latter in a favourable position.

However, England have had a tendency of toppling sub-continent teams in their own backyard and will be relying on their past success.

Even as these two diverse sides collide in the Test arena, the Indians will be looking to keep a close eye on the proceedings. Here are 5 reasons why:

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#1 To identify the English players who may pose the biggest threat

Joe Root averages over 100 against India in Tests and could be a threat again

The England-Bangladesh Test series will help the Indians discover which English players could prove to be a threat to them when the two countries come face to face next month. The conditions in Bangladesh are pretty similar to those in India and the players who put on a credible performance there may possibly do well here, too.

Once these cricketers are identified, the Indian team management can prepare special plans on how to keep them under check.

Knowledge on how to tackle the most dangerous characters in the England team will provide India a much-needed edge even before the start of the 5-match Test series which begins on 9 November.

#2 To figure out the weak links in the England side

Moeen Ali may find the going tough against the Indians on their home turf

Another important reason why the Indians would want to keep an eye out for the Test series between England and Bangladesh is to identify the weak links in the English side. Although the Bangladeshi team may not be as good in the longest format, they surely have the ability to expose a few chinks in England’s armour.

If India can recognise some of the players who may be potential weak links, they may be able to capitalise on them during the series between the two teams. This will be more relevant in terms of the English bowling attack as the Indian batsmen would know which bowlers they can get after when the innings requires momentum.

#3 To prepare separate plans on how to tackle each bowler and batsman

Alastair Cook has a great batting record in Asia and India will need to plan well against him

Each and every member of a cricket team contributes in his own unique way to its cause. As such, it will be important for Team India to know the workings of each cricketer in the England squad so that they can formulate ways and means to tackle them, irrespective of whether they are batsmen or bowlers.

Keeping this in mind, the Test series between England and Bangladesh is one that the Indians will need to follow closely. Although it is not necessary that the English team for their tour to India may not be exactly the same as it is for the current series, the core unit is likely to be similar and therefore the hosts can have plans in place for them.

#4 To understand what kind of plans Cook & Co could employ against them

Cook got most of his strategies right during England’s previous tour to India

Following the England-Bangladesh series closely will also be important for the Indian team in terms of understanding the kind of plans that English skipper Alastair Cook may effect against them. The Bangladeshis have some experienced batsmen and bowlers in their ranks and it may take some planning from Cook to get the better of them.

The strategies that England apply to handle the threat posed by the Bangladesh team in their own backyard could help India get an insight on how they deal with different situations.

By doing this, they will be able to prepare appropriately for what the tourists may throw at them and force them to rethink their plans.

#5 To assess how well the English batsmen can negotiate spin

Pakistani leg-spinner Yasir Shah recently troubled the England batsmen in their own conditions

England’s track record against the spinners has certainly not been the best so it will be interesting to see how they fare against the Bangladeshi spin attack in this series. Even the Indian team will want to keep a tab on how the English batsmen play the spinners as it may be crucial in determining how Ravichandran Ashwin & co. bowl against them.

When the Englishmen came touring in 2012, they not only used their spinners very effectively against India’s batsmen but also minimalised the impact of the home team’s spinners.

This time around, though, they will face up with a much stronger Indian spin attack and will have to bring out their A-game in order to succeed.