3 things that have changed since India's last Test in England

Members of the Indian Test team have arrived in England for the rescheduled Test, which will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 1. The Indians visited England for a five-match Test series from July to September last year. However, the final Test at Old Trafford in Manchester was canceled due to COVID-19 cases in the Indian camp.

India are compensating for the canceled match by playing a Test in Birmingham on their current tour. During their previous series in England, India put up a highly impressive showing and were 2-1 up after four Tests. A draw in Nottingham was followed by a memorable 151-run triumph at Lord’s. The visitors were thrashed in the third Test in Leeds after being bundled out for 78 on Day 1. However, they fought back brilliantly to clinch The Oval Test by 157 runs.

While India have returned to England for the second time within a year, quite a few things have changed in the interim. Here’s a lowdown:

---

#1 Root and Kohli are no longer captains

Joe Root (left) and Virat Kohli. Pic: Getty Images

During the previous India-England Test series, Virat Kohli and Joe Root were captaining their respective sides. Root finished as the leading run-scorer after four Tests. He smashed 564 runs at an excellent average of 94 with three hundreds and one fifty. Kohli had a comparatively quiet series, scoring 218 runs at an average of 31.14 with two half-centuries.

Kohli quit the Test captaincy after India’s 2-1 series loss to South Africa, while Root also decided to step down in April this year. He had been under intense scrutiny as England’s Test fortunes sank miserably over the last year.

After giving up leadership, Kohli featured in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home. He did not have a great time, scoring 45, 23 and 13. In contrast, Root has only become more dangerous. In the ongoing series against New Zealand, he smashed 115* at Lord’s and 176 at Nottingham.

India will be led by opener Rohit Sharma in the rescheduled Test. The 35-year-old was India’s leading run-getter during last year’s Test series in England with 368 runs in four Tests. England's new captain Ben Stokes will be in charge in Birmingham. He had missed the previous Test series against India as he was on a mental health break.

---

#2 Both teams have new coaches

Rahul Dravid (left) and Brendon McCullum.

It's not just captains, both India and England have new coaches as well! During the previous Test series, Ravi Shastri was Team India’s head coach, while Chris Silverwood held the equivalent post for England. Shastri’s tenure came to an end following the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. Silverwood, meanwhile, was sacked in the aftermath of the Ashes debacle in Australia.

Rahul Dravid took over from Shastri as Team India’s head coach. The team has done well in the white-ball format under his guidance, but they lost a great opportunity to register their maiden Test series win in South Africa. India took a 1-0 lead but ended up going down by a 2-1 margin. Dravid recently described the loss in the Rainbow Nation as a “little bit of a disappointment”.

England made a brave move by appointing former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as their Test coach in May this year. His early impact has been visible in England’s aggressive approach against the Kiwis in the ongoing series.

---

#3 Rohit Sharma’s loss of form

Rohit Sharma during The Oval Test. Pic: Getty Images

When Rohit Sharma came to England last year as part of the Test squad, his place was still under the scanner. He had done exceedingly well in the longer format in Indian conditions. However, he hadn’t been able to replicate the success during away tours. There were further apprehensions since Rohit was going to open the innings against the moving ball.

The experienced batter answered all critics in fine style, scoring 368 runs in four Tests at an average of 52.57 with one hundred and two fifties. Rohit contributed 83 in the Lord’s win and was adjudged the 'Man of the Match' for his hard-fought 127 at The Oval as the visitors took a 2-1 lead. He returned to India with his reputation enhanced and has since gone on to become India’s all-format leader.

Yet again, though, he returns to England with question marks over his form. Ever since taking over the leadership, he has struggled to deliver with the willow across all formats.

In the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at home, he registered scores of 29, 15 and 46. He has had a few starts in white-ball cricket, but has failed to convert those into big knocks. Even in IPL 2022, he failed to register a single half-century.

---