3 key factors for India to achieve success in the Test series in England

India’s tour of England is less than a month away and already there is huge excitement as this will be a first away assignment for Team India given the overseas tours they have leading into the 2019 World cup. Virat Kohli and his men would want to achieve success in the test series considering the humiliating defeats they suffered in the last test series in England.

Last time, when India toured England in 2014, Team India won the 2nd Test at Lords but went on to lose the remaining 3 Tests on a trot. The main cause for the failure was the batting that failed time and again against the swing bowling of the English seamers. Barring Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay, all the other Indian batsmen failed to make an impact and this time it would require a collective effort to overcome the miseries of 2014.

When it comes to bowling, Indian bowlers are much potent now compared to 2014 with the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah achieving success both at home and in the recently concluded South Africa series.

Team India are currently standing at Number One position as per rankings in Test cricket and to defend that position and achieve the ultimate success the following factors play a crucial role. Let us look at 3 of the important factors that would contribute to Team India’s success in England.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan needs to mix caution with aggression

Undoubtedly, Shikhar Dhawan has been India’s best match-winner over the years. We have seen his aggressive batting display in the Test series against Sri Lanka in their home last year. He managed to notch up big scores and also at a brisk pace. However, things will be entirely different going into the test series against England.

This series would define his ability to survive against the toughest of the bowling attacks at testing conditions. This could also be a make or break series for the left-hander as a string of poor scores could potentially lead to dropping him from the squad and with KL Rahul waiting in the wings, this would be an acid test for the southpaw.

In the last tour of England, Shikhar Dhawan managed to score a meagre 122 runs in 6 innings with a below-par batting average of 20.33. He failed to negotiate the swing bowling of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes and was caught behind the stumps most of the time.

This time, Shikhar Dhawan would be much aware and needs to be well prepared to counter the storm. He would need to play cautiously at the start, negotiate the swing and avoid playing horizontal shorts on pitches that seam and swing a lot.

In England, batting would be easy in the 2nd session and if Shikhar Dhawan stays in the crease for a decent length of time the scoring rate would be picked up and it would lay a great foundation for the middle order to pile up huge scores.

#2 Trio of Pujara-Kohli-Rahane would define the outcome of the series

Cheteshwar Pujara

Team India boasts of strong middle order if not the best middle order in the world. Cheteshwar Pujara has been the best number 3 batsman for Team India ever since Rahul Dravid retired from Test Cricket. Cheteshwar Pujara has been playing county cricket for a decent length of time and this could be a huge advantage for him as well as Team India going ahead into the test series.

By now, Pujara would be well equipped with the conditions and pitches in England and he will play a major role in holding the batting line up. Pujara would need to occupy the crease for a lengthy period of time and wear the new ball and this would help the other batsman score runs from the other end.

In the previous series in England, Pujara managed to score 222 runs in the 5 Tests with an average of 22.20. This time he would want to make amends and have a much better tour with the bat.

Virat Kohli

The Indian Skipper Virat Kohli received a major setback after being ruled out from his county stint due to an injury near the neck. Virat Kohli would undergo fitness tests before the series and would hope to be back to full fitness going ahead into the tour. Coming to the stats, we all know the Indian skipper has had a dismal test series last time when he toured England with a poor average of 13.40 in 10 innings.

However, this time he would want to wipe off the old memories by scoring runs on the green decks and proving his critics wrong. Virat Kohli has vastly improved his technique in Test cricket and this was evident in the recent South Africa series as he was the top scorer for Team India in the 3 Test matches.

With a Test series win in his mind, this would be the final frontier for Virat Kohli with the bat.

Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane has been India’s best overseas test batsman over the years. Records show that he has scored runs in every foreign country and he has a better batting average compared to his teammates. He was the lone fighter in the last Test series versus England and his century at Lord's in the second Test was a memorable knock, largely due to the conditions in which he batted on. This knock not only helped Team India put up a good score but helped Team Indian win the match.

In the last tour, Ajinkya Rahane scored 299 runs with an impressive average of 33.22. He would want to replicate the same if not give a better performance this time. He is the linchpin of India’s batting lineup, considering his ability to play seam and swing and also alter his game from playing cautiously to play aggressive cricket when the situation demands.

It would also be exciting to see the battle between the English seamers and the trio of Indian batting.

#1 Play with 1 Spinner and preferably a wrist spinner

The pitches in England are mostly seam friendly with grass covering that assists the fast bowlers more than the spinners. Over the years, Shane Warne is the only leg spinner that has achieved major consistent success considering his ability to grip the ball even on a flat surface.

Ravi Ashwin would be the first choice spinner for Team India considering the experience he has in Test circuit and the county stint he had last year. Recently, we have seen Ashwin bowling leg spin in IPL, this could come in handy in England if he manages to get consistency in delivering the ball at the right place.

With Amit Mishra not a contention for a spot in the squad, Team India doesn’t have a world class leg spinner. Hence Kuldeep Yadav might get picked in the squad for the test series. If he gets picked to play, he can be lethal on the England pitches considering his unorthodoxy.

Kuldeep Yadav has a great ability to spin the ball both ways and he can bamboozle the batsman with both guile and deception. He would get much-needed assistance on 4th and 5th days as the pitch would have wear and tear and if England are batting 4th, Kuldeep Yadav would be virtually unplayable.