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After the massive build-up, Team India is all set to take on England in the first Test of the five-match series at Nottingham, starting from Wednesday.
India has been in the UK since June, and although they went down to New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Virat Kohli’s men will look to start afresh against the Englishmen.
Speaking ahead of the series, Team India skipper Kohli played down the hype over the England Tests, stating that even if they win the contest, it would not be a milestone but just another series win for him.
At the same time, it cannot be denied that a Test series victory in England would mean a lot for Indian cricket.
Can Team India break losing streak in England?
It has been a while since Team India won a Test series in England, back in 2007 when Rahul Dravid was the captain. Can Kohli’s men turn the tide? Here’s a SWOT analysis of Team India ahead of the England series.
Strengths: Potent pace bowling attack
This is Team India’s biggest strength going into the five-match series against England. Although the Indians may not have won Test matches consistently away from home, the bowlers have been successful in claiming 20 wickets more often than not.
Their potent pace bowling has been the key to Team India’s competitive streak in Tests away from home.
The likes of Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah did struggle in the WTC final against the Kiwis, but that can be considered as a one-off. Both Ishant and Bumrah have tasted success in England before and know what it takes to outsmart batters in these conditions.
Mohammed Shami, on the other hand, has transformed himself into a versatile pacer who no longer depends on the conditions to succeed.
He has enough weapons in his armory to stamp his authority irrespective of the surface and other external factors.
There are reports that Mohammed Siraj is likely to be drafted into the playing XI for the first Test. In the few matches that he has played, Siraj has proved that he has that X-factor in him.
In hindsight, Team India erred in a big way by leaving him out of the playing XI for the WTC final. If not in the first Test, Siraj is likely to feature in the series at some point, and he undoubtedly has the ability to make a mark in England.
Weaknesses: Woefully out-of-form batting
Let’s get this straight. The way Team India bat could very well determine their fortunes in the Test series.
There is more than an air of uncertainty around the batting line-up, the misery compounded further by the growing list of injuries - first Shubman Gill and now Mayank Agarwal.
At the pre-match conference, when asked about who would open with Rohit Sharma, Kohli answered that they would announce their XI at the toss. Whoever does will be under pressure, for it has been a last-minute change.
Till yesterday morning, Agarwal looked like the one who would open with Rohit, but then he got hit on the helmet during a practice session.
While Rohit is a certainty in the starting XI, he himself has a point to prove as an overseas opener. All his success at the top of the order in Tests has come in home conditions.
Add to it the fact that No. 3 Cheteshwar Pujara and Team India skipper Kohli haven’t scored a Test hundred in a while.
Pujara last crossed three figures in January 2019 and Kohli in November the same year. There is also the startling stat of Pujara averaging a meager 28 in his last 18 Tests.
Moving ahead, Team India's vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has done little of note over the last year, leaving aside the gripping Boxing Day ton.
He has got out to ungainly strokes most times he has got his eye in. The England series could very well decide his future in Test cricket.
Opportunities: Chance to exploit England’s batting frailties
One of the chief reasons readers have been bombarded with the statement "Team India have a great opportunity to win in England" has been because of the hosts’ glaring weaknesses in the batting department.
As if the existing batting woes weren’t enough, England has been dealt a body blow with the loss of the dynamic Ben Stokes, who has pulled out citing mental health issues.
In the current English batting line-up, barring captain Joe Root and, to an extent, opener Rory Burns, most of the others would be under pressure to hold on to their places in the team.
The likes of Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Dan Lawrence will face a massive test against Team India.
If India’s experienced and high-quality bowlers are unable to dislodge the England batting in the upcoming series, they are sure to be hugely disappointed. It would definitely be a golden opportunity lost for Team India.
Threats: History of inability to seize the big moments
Team India lost the previous series in England 1-4. However, those who followed the matches closely would be well aware that it was a matter of one bad session most times that cost Kohli’s men dearly.
The worrying aspect, though, is that they repeated the mistake in the WTC final against the Kiwis. India had a chance to seize the advantage with the bat in the first innings, but the middle and lower-order crumbled.
Team India’s bowlers fought back hard with some key wickets. However, just when a tight contest looked on the cards, they allowed New Zealand to move ahead and, eventually, canter to the WTC title.
It was an utterly disappointing effort from Team India in another crunch ICC encounter.
Answering a query about the team’s inability to seize the big moments, Kohli admitted at the pre-match conference:
"Of course, as a team, we look to improve the things we have not done well. And that is one aspect of the game we need to get better at, and that is understanding how to control the damage when things are not going well. That's what Test cricket is all about, you cannot have all sessions go your way. We know exactly what we need to do and it all boils down to execution."
Kohli chose his words smartly but what would actually matter in the end is whether Team India can walk the talk.
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