England vs India Tests : 4 Talking Points

The all important 5 match test series between England and India is all set to take center stage on 1 August. Both sides look fairly matched on paper with each team having its fair share of strengths and weaknesses. India recently announced the squad for the first three matches while England announced their squad much later for the first test.

India squad for first three matches: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Murali VIjay, Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur.

England squad for first test match: Joe Root (Captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, James Porter.

The series is expected to be contested toughly. India's batting line up will be tested against the experienced duo of Broad and Anderson. England's batting lineup will also be under pressure to deliver considering that it has still not yet found stability in the middle order and the opening combination. Here are the 4 major points that are interesting to note in the build up of the test series:

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#4 Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid's previous appearance in a test match was against India in India in 2016

Adil Rashid's inclusion has surprised many. Rashid was on the news for saying that it was his decision to focus primarily on white-ball cricket this English summer. Rashid has not played any first class match for Yorkshire this season. It is therefore baffling that he was chosen in the squad for the first test.

From the selectors point of view, it can be understood that they opted for him considering his excellent form in the ODIs and particularly the way he dismissed Kohli in the 3rd ODI. It also somewhat reveals the plan for the tests.It is expected that the pitches will be dry and offer assistance to spinners and hence supporting the theory of two spinners being included in the playing eleven.

#3 Alastair Cook's opening partner

England Lions v India A - Cook scored 180 against India A

Cook has announced himself well and truly prepared for the series having scored 180 for England Lions against India A in an unofficial four day match before the all important series against the Indians. However, what seems to be a major problem is the opening partner for Cook.

As many as 12 partners have been tried since Andrew Strauss retired. It will be interesting to see if England finally get that right with Keaton Jennings set to partner alongside Cook or it will still be a worry to daunt them.

#2 Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara played for Yorkshire in the County Championship leading up the test series

Pujara who has been praised heavily for his defensive technique will be under serious pressure to perform if at all he does make it into the playing eleven. Pujara has played some matches for Yorkshire this County season but his numbers are not great. In the six first class matches that he has played, he has only scored 172 runs at an average of 14.33 with a highest score of 41.

Any touring team's success in England depends upon the performance of their one down batsman. Players like Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Rahul Dravid and Hashim Amla performed well whenever they toured England, the performance being reflected in their team's performance in that particular series.

When India toured England in 2002 and 2007, their good showing in the series was attributed to Dravid's returns with the bat. He used to hold one end, thus allowing others to play their natural game.

Pujara had a forgettable 2014 tour and he should look to make amends this time around.

#1 Kohli vs Anderson

Who will emerge victorious in this mini-battle?

The most interesting player rivalry will be between Kohli and Anderson. Kohli would want to forget his dismal performance in 2014 against England. Kohli managed to score only 134 runs across the five test matches at an average of 13.4. On these ten occasions, he was dismissed by Anderson 4 times. Anderson targeted the area around the off stump with the ball swinging away and Kohli was simply not good enough for these deliveries.

However, Virat Kohli has been termed as a far much improved batsman since then, especially with the way he played in South Africa this year, bringing up 286 runs in three test matches at an average of 47.67 with a highest score of 153. It will be therefore be fascinating to see whether he is able to replicate his improved off-stump game against the likes of Anderson and Broad.