IND vs ENG 2021: England cricket team SWOT analysis 

After a disappointing defeat against New Zealand in June, England will hope to bounce back when they lock horns with the mighty Indians in a five-match Test series, which starts on August 4 (Wednesday) in Nottingham.

The much-anticipated series will also mark the beginning of the second cycle of the ICC World Test Championship and the hosts will be eyeing nothing short of a series win after missing out on the final berth in the last edition.

However, England will have to play out of their skins to beat a star-studded Indian side, who knocked Joe Root & Co 3-1 earlier this year at home. Ahead of the first tie, let's take a look at England's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

IND vs ENG 2021: England's Strengths

#1 Home Conditions

England enjoy an outstanding record at home and not many teams have managed to breach their fortress. Since 1880, the hosts have lost only 38 out of the 141 series they have played.

Although they lost their last Test assignment against New Zealand by a margin of 0-1, England were mostly without their first-choice players. The likes of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow missed out due to quarantine restrictions as they landed from India just a couple of days ahead of the first Test. This was also Joe Root's first series defeat as England captain at home.

Final prep ahead of Wednesday and a huge series!#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/yEeYy3PNrS

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 2, 2021

However, back to their full strength, England will grind hard to beat the World Test Championship runner-up.

#2 Potent bowling attack with James Anderson and Stuart Broad

James Anderson and Stuart Broad form an unmatchable partnership world cricket has never witnessed. The duo have been mostly responsible for England's dominant run in red-ball cricket in the last decade.

Broad has picked up 523 wickets from 148 matches while Anderson has 617, the most by a fast bowler, under his belt. If they are on song, India will have a tough time in the upcoming five-match Test series.

Both of them enjoy an outstanding record against India which will work in favour of England. Anderson has 118 wickets while Broad has picked up 70 wickets against the Asian Giants.

IND vs ENG 2021: England's weakness

#1 England's fragile batting

The hosts will be without ace all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has opted for an indefinite break citing mental health. Stokes has been one of their primary run-scorers in the last three years with 1060 runs at an average of almost 45.

England's top-order has also been very fragile, with Rory Burns, Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley failing to offer consistency. While Burns averages 37 in 2021, Sibley and Crawley have an average of 21.25 and 10.25 respectively.

On top of that, Joe Root has also struggled to put in big scores in recent times. The English skipper has not crossed the 50-run mark in his last 11 innings, which will keep the management thinking. India, on the other hand, will hope to exploit their weakness and if they can get Root early, the visitors will be in the drivers seat.

IND vs ENG 2021: England's opportunities

The five-match series will be an opportunity for the inconsistent England top-order to settle their nerves and hog back into form. The likes of Burns and Sibley have not played to their potential and scoring runs against the Indian bowling attack will give them the much-needed confidence.

The series also poses a great opportunity for Nottinghamshire batsman Haseeb Hameed, who returns to the England side after a long haul. With the Ashes series to follow after this Test series, the cricketers will hope to cash in on this opportunity and book a place on the plane to Australia.

IND vs ENG 2021: England's threat

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja

With overcast conditions prevailing in the UK over the last couple of weeks, India might be tempted to play both Ashwin and Jadeja, which could be a threat for the home side.

Spinners have had a greater impact during this time of the year, having picked up 102 wickets in 13 Test matches since 2018. New Zealand's Ajaz Patel also looked threatening during England's last Test, and Joe Root & Co would be desperate to avoid such a collapse.

Although there will be a hint of green in the wickets, it will be dry beneath which will bring Indian spinners into play.