England vs India 2018: 5 key players for India in the Test series

The most hotly anticipated series in recent history for Indian cricket has finally arrived. The 6 matches in this tour leading up to this game have been an even 3-3, with the Indians winning the T20I series and the English dominating the last two ODIs to clinch the series.

Now, it is time for the real test – the Test series. Arguably the toughest assignment for captain Kohli since he took over the reins against Australia, this 5-match Test series has garnered a lot of buzz. All eyes will be on India and England as the two strong sides clash in what is set to be a closely fought contest.

After the 2011 whitewash and a disappointing end to a tour that ended in a 3-1 defeat, India will be looking to shed the conception that they are a weak touring side as England look to climb further in the rankings, aiming to continue their winning momentum into the Test series.

With stalwarts James Anderson and Stuart Broad bolstering the pace attack in what will be pace-friendly conditions, a real challenge awaits the Indian batsmen. The English also have a formidable batting line up, and with Alastair Cook in great form, scoring 180 against India A and Joe Root finding his mojo against India with 2 excellent centuries in the ODI series, the Indian bowlers have a tough task on their hands.

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#1 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli seemingly cannot be kept out of any conversation involving the Test series, and his return to England for Tests is a tantalising one. With much talk about his previous tour of England in 2014, where he scored only 134 runs across 5 matches at an average of 13.40 with a highest score of 39, there is a lot of anticipation regarding how Kohli will bat in this series.

He has looked in good nick so far in the T20I and ODI series, coming into great form in the latter part of the ODI series. He will be looking to put his dismal record in England behind him and make this a tour to remember.

#: Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav will be looking to carry over his good limited overs form into the Test series

1st T20I: 5/24

2nd T20I: 0/34

3rd T20I: Dropped

1st ODI: 6/25

2nd ODI: 3/68

3rd ODI: 0/55

Such has been the tour for Kuldeep thus far, with rapid swings from hot to cold. Though it remains to be seen if Kuldeep is picked in the XI against England, he will have to be on top of his game as the English batsmen played him much better in the last two ODIs, with the 3 wickets coming off aggressive shots.

Joe Root, in particular, has posed a challenge for Kuldeep and the other bowlers as he came back spectacularly after being in patchy form. Outfoxing these batsmen is a difficult task for Kuldeep. What he has shown though, is an ability to come back from seemingly being ‘figured out’ as he showed in the first ODI.

#3 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik will be aiming to cement his spot in the side

Dinesh Karthik has been drafted into the Test side as a replacement for the injured Wriddhiman Saha, who is out for at least two months with an unfortunate shoulder injury at an inopportune time for him. However, this is a good opportunity for Karthik, not only to cement his place in the Test side but also to make a strong case to become a permanent member of the Indian ODI and T20I XI.

Karthik got out for 21 in the sole match he played against England, but looked very fluent whilst doing so and he will be set on converting the starts he gets into a significant score to make his case for selection. With talented Rishabh Pant breathing down his neck, it is a crucial series for Karthik.

#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Will Ashwin dominate in English conditions?

Ashwin has been a crucial all-rounder for the Indian team for a while now, and though he is relatively inexperienced in playing Test cricket in English conditions, his two matches have had decent returns. He did not bowl much in the first match but had a tight economy rate of just over 2 and played a couple of handy innings of over 40 runs each. In the second match, he picked up 3 important wickets for 72 runs.

Ashwin provides the much-needed stability down the order with his technically adept batting. Being the 5th ranked bowler in the ICC rankings and 4th in the all-rounder rankings, he will be looking to live up to those expectations with his partner-in-crime, Ravindra Jadeja.

#5 Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma bowled promisingly in his county stint

Ishant Sharma has been honing his craft in the county cricket circuit in England in the past few months, and in addition to bowling well and picking up many wickets for his team, Sussex, he also scored his personal best first-class score of 66 against Leicester.

With the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah due to injury and Umesh Yadav being expensive in the recently concluded limited overs series (ODI and T20I), Ishant will have a big part to play in spearheading the Indian pace attack. He will be looking to exploit the seamer-friendly conditions in England.