England vs India 2018: Wasim Jaffer backs India to win Test series

Former opening batsman Wasim Jaffer has backed India to triumph against England in the eagerly awaited Test series. Playing down the looming threats of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, the 40-year old placed faith on the Indian batting lineup to capitalise on the unusually warm conditions.

In an interview with PakPassion.net, Wasim Jaffer affirmed, "This is the time for India to win a Test series in England. When they last toured England in 2014, I thought they had the squad to defeat England and they were 1-0 up in the series but then lost momentum and England fought back well."

He elaborated, "But this time around I feel age is catching up with Stuart Broad and James Anderson, and if India don't give wickets to those two then I think England will find it hard to get 20 Indian wickets. It's a long series of 5 matches and it's crucial that you get off to a good start, but I feel this will be India's time to win in England."

During India's 1-0 series triumph in 2007, Jaffer formed a crucial opening combination with Dinesh Karthik. The duo blunted the new-ball and set the platform for the star-studded middle-order.

Not surprisingly, the Mumbai stalwart called upon the Indian openers to pave the way for the team's success in the upcoming series too. He emphasized on the need to pile on significant totals in the range of '400-450' in order to apply persistent pressure on the England batsmen.

Despite the injury-enforced absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaffer sounded impressed with India's bowling attack. When the focus veered inevitably towards skipper Virat Kohli, the elegant right-hander backed the 29-year old to rectify his abysmal Test record on British soil.

Jaffer believed, "Virat Kohli will be looking to this Test series to prove to himself and his critics that he can score runs in Test cricket in England. As one of the world's best players he will want to tick the box of having performed well in Test match cricket in England and this series is a great opportunity for him to do this. I'm sure Virat will be looking forward to the series and he will be very keen to score heavily against England."

The tantalising five-Test series is set to begin on Wednesday at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.