5 Players who could flop in the India v England Test series

As the Indian fans are eagerly waiting to watch India take on England in the longer format of the game, there are things the Indian side needs to look at, and rectify at the earliest. Few of these being the dismal performance of Cheteshwar Pujara in County Cricket, unavailability of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the leading pacer who can swing the ball both ways, and Jasprit Bumrah's absence.

India have to perform well despite all the hurdles and do their very best. Having said that, there are plenty of reasons for England to worry about as well, and they would want to rectify them prior to the commencement of the series.

With the tour evenly poised between the two nations, as far as the 3-3 overall score of the limited overs' matches is concerned, the Test matches can be expected to be thoroughly competitive and can go either way. Looking at the possible threats and weaknesses each side has, let us take a look at 5 players who could flop in this series.

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#1 Ben Stokes

The old impressive Ben Stokes

The much talked about and exceptionally talented all-rounder is not having a very good time on the field. Since he has returned after the nightclub incident that got him suspended, and subsequently being recalled to the side, he hasn't looked the same player.

His swashbuckling 258 against South Africa now seems like a distant memory and Stokes has become a very unreliable batsman, alongside the very unimpressive bowling he has.

With the poor performances in the limited overs' series against India behind his back, and the struggles against quality spin bowling, Ben Stokes is one of the most vulnerable players to flop this series.

#2 Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara

County Cricket has witnessed a lot new signings and contracts from Indian players, especially test specialists who do not get bought by any of the IPL Franchises. One such signing that attracted a lot of attention was Cheteshwar Pujara.

He was re-signed by the Yorkshire for the 2018 season, but Pujara has struggled in the longer format. He has failed to convert his starts into scores and has not been a reason to worry for any county bowler so far. This might mean that he could flop big time while playing for India.

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#3 James Anderson

James Anderson has been one of the greatest fast bowlers in Test Cricket and will go down as a legend

With time, things have changed for the very reputed English seamer. Jimmy Anderson has lost his pace and now bowls at the 130km/h mark, he has lost out on his spot in the limited overs side and may now end up just as Dale Steyn looks to be ending with.

Age has effected the game of many stalwarts and it will be no different for Anderson. The sting he and Stuart Broad had, now seems long gone and it is possible that he doesn't pick up many wickets along with getting hit a bit too much.

#4 Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya

If given a chance, Hardik's performance can go either way. He is someone who can just go out and start playing the big shots and therefore, get to a formidable score once in a blue moon, and also fail to tackle the bowling in foreign conditions and get out cheaply each time.

As a bowler too, Hardik lacks swing and that can prove to be a weakness of India, as one of the three fast bowlers, Hardik cannot be considered a wicket taker.

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#5 Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan

The English middle order Batsman is yet to do justice to his batting position, as he has shown high levels of inconsistency. Following his 140 against Australia at Perth in the Ashes, his career graph keeps going down.

With scores of 6, 12 and 28 in the home series against Pakistan, Malan has had a dismal run in Tests, leading up to this India tour. India should and probably will take advantage of this situation and look to break his will and belief by getting him out every time.

Malan has to prove his ability and justify his selection in the first two Test matches of the series, else he might get dropped for the rest of the series.