England vs India 2018: 6 players to watch out for in the upcoming Test series

The limited-overs leg of India’s tour to England is done and dusted. While the limited-overs leg ended even-stevens (3-3 with India winning the T20I series 2-1, and England winning the ODI series 2-1), it’s now time to shift to the whites and the red ball. The build-up has been enormous and it’s show time now.

Both teams are coming into this series having lost their last Test series. While England had a pretty tough winter where they lost 0-4 to Australia and 0-1 to New Zealand, India went down fighting and lost 1-2 to South Africa. While England haven’t lost a Test series at home since 2014, India have not won a Test series in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) since 2009. Hence, this series promises to be a mouth-watering contest.

Thus, with the much-hyped 5-Test series only a couple of days away, let’s quickly assess who will be the top 6 players to watch out for in this blockbuster series.

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#6 Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid has returned to the Test squad after 18 months.

This is one player that has created a lot of debate and controversy over the last few days. Ever since Adil Rashid was named in England’s 13-man squad, a big controversy has erupted. At the start of the year, Rashid signed a white-ball-only contract with Yorkshire for this summer and hasn’t played even one red-ball game this season. Hence, the likes of Michael Vaughan, Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and others have openly criticised his selection.

However, the 30-year-old leggie has been in really good form in limited-overs cricket. In 19 ODIs this year, he has taken 36 wickets. He’s been really consistent and has bowled excellently in the recent past. His line, length and variations have all been spot on and his delivery which went through Virat Kohli in the third ODI was a special one.

However, Rashid last played red-ball cricket way back in December 2016, which was against India in Chennai. He took 23 wickets in that 5-Test match series and was England’s best bowler. However, it was in September last year that he played his last red-ball game and it will be interesting to see how he goes about in this series.

#5 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik will play a key role, not only with the gloves but also in India's middle-order

Dinesh Karthik is one of the players in this Indian team who has been batting beautifully for quite some time now. However, he hasn’t got a lot of opportunities. He played just two games on this trip so far. One T20I against Ireland (where he didn’t bat) and the other in the third ODI against England at Leeds where he scored a fluent 21.

He had a terrific IPL as well and he made his Test comeback recently when he played against Afghanistan in June. In the absence of Wriddhiman Saha, Karthik is most likely to don the wicket-keeper’s role and will also play a key role at No. 6. He looked in excellent touch in the recently-concluded practice game against Essex and he was the top-scorer (82) in the game as well.

India’s top-order has crumbled quite a few times and they couldn’t stand up against South Africa earlier this year. Hence, Karthik’s role at 6 is going to be crucial and the Indian team will hope he continues his form into Test cricket as well.

#4 Jamie Porter

This is Jamie Porter's maiden call-up.

There is a lot of noise around this 25-year-old Essex fast bowler and his name is Jamie Porter. He’s been around for a while now and has been phenomenal in the last two-three years in County cricket.

Just take a look at his numbers. In 2016, Porter played 14 County games and took 55 wickets. He returned with better results next year. In 2017, he took a staggering 75 wickets in 13 games and was a key part of Essex’s County winning season. This year, he has taken 28 wickets in 7 games and has knocked down the selection door.

He is a bowler who can constantly bowl in one channel, move the ball both ways and has the ability to constantly land the ball on the seam. If there even a little in the pitch, Porter can exploit that and use his strengths to great effect.

He might well make his debut in the first Test if England opt to play three pacers alongside Ben Stokes and either Moeen Ali or Adil Rashid. Hence, he could be really dangerous and India need to be wary for this young Essex pacer.

#3 Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma will be the leader of the attack.

Ishant Sharma has been around the Indian team for over a decade now. It more than 10 years since he bowled that magnificent spell to Ricky Ponting and had the then Aussie captain clueless. But the tall lanky Delhi pacer hasn’t quite lived up to the expectation and the hype he created in his initial years.

However, in the last year or so, he seems to be in good rhythm and the ball seems to be coming out nicely out of his hand. He’s taken 20 wickets in the last 5 Tests he’s played (with three out of those five at home). He was in England for a couple of months and took part in the County Championship in April and May. Playing for Sussex, he was impressive as he returned with 15 wickets in 4 first-class games and 8 wickets in 6 List ‘A’ games.

He also looked in good shape in India’s warm-up game against Essex where he took 3/59. Ishant Sharma will look spearhead India’s attack and in the absence of key bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (for the first three Tests) and Jasprit Bumrah (for the first Test), he will look to strike early.

#2 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler has looked in very good form this summer.

If there’s one player who has looked good in all formats for England, it is Jos Buttler. He has been in phenomenal form in recent times. In fact, he has scored 1037 runs across formats this year in international cricket, averaging close to 50. He had a terrific IPL and his stupendous form saw him make a comeback in the Test team as well.

In the Test series against Pakistan earlier this summer, Buttler was England’s best batsman and he transitioned excellently from white-ball to red-ball. Given England’s instability and fragility at the top, Buttler is going to be a big part coming in at No. 7. He can bat well with the lower order, he can shift the momentum and put pressure back on the Indians.

Also, Buttler has done well against India. He has scored the most runs and his average is the best against India. Thus, he is going to be a critical member in this England Test line-up.

#1 Virat Kohli

Will Kohli conquer England?

It was in England exactly four years ago which saw a big slump in Virat Kohli’s career. He scored a mere 134 runs in 10 innings in that 5-match Test series and became James Anderson’s bunny. However, four years later, he is still India’s premier batsman and is in England once again to conquer his demons.

His form has been quite magnificent over the last year. Be it Test cricket, ODIs or T20s, Kohli has scored heavily, irrespective of the opposition. With the all-important Test series starting in couple of days, Kohli will be absolutely vital for India. He was India’s best batsman during the Test series in South Africa as well. Kohli was the only batsman from either side to get a hundred in those 3 Tests.

The Indian skipper looked in good touch in the warm-up game as well and rescued India from a tricky situation as he scored a fluent 68. At No. 4, Kohli will look to control the innings and lead from the front, setting an example for rest of his teammates to follow. Virat Kohli, the captain will also be tested. How he manages the team, how he leads them on the field and the team selection as well, which has come under scrutiny quite a bit. Hence, he will look to set the record straight with the bat and on the field.