The biggest test for both England and India in 2016 is the upcoming five-match Test series between both these teams in India from November 9.
India go into this series with a 3-0 win over New Zealand while England lost to Bangladesh by 108 runs in the second Test and were held 1-1 by the hosts in the two-match series. England’s batsmen had a torrid time against the Bangladeshi spinners and will have their task cut-out against R Ashwin and co.
India under Virat Kohli are a completely different unit and the skipper would want the team to forget what happened when England toured India for a Test series last time. England are coming into the series as underdogs and the Indian team management won’t consider them as pushovers.
The home side should be wary of few England players going into the series. Let us take a look at the players who should not underestimate going into the series.
#1 Moeen Ali
The last time India played England in a Test series, MS Dhoni's men took Moeen Ali lightly and were complacent against the offie, who was a part-timer in 2014. The series against India gave Ali a breakthrough as a bowler and since then, he has been one of the vital cogs in England’s bowling line-up.
Ali has improved a lot as a bowler and is one of the best in the business at the moment. England might go in with two frontline spinners and an all-rounder in Moeen Ali but it will be Ali, who can trouble the Indian batsmen when compared to the others.
Ali has the tendency to bowl faster in the air and can extract a lot of bounce from the wicket. With the wickets in India known to assist the spinners, Ali can exploit the conditions and trouble the Indian batsmen. He can also come in handy with the bat down the order.
#2 Ben Stokes
Before the start of the second Test against Bangladesh, England coach Trevor Bayliss said, “Ben Stokes could be right up there with some of the all-time best all-rounders.” In the limited matches he played, Stokes has shown how dangerous he could be.
He is one of the very few all-rounders in the generation who can contribute equally well with both bat and ball. Stokes is someone who is capable of turning the game on its head with his aggressive batting. Irrespective of the conditions and the situation of the match, Stokes likes to go after the bowler right from the word go and put him under pressure.
With the ball, Stokes has the ability to strike at regular intervals and can exploit the reverse swing that is available with the older ball. A lot was questioned about his adaptability to the sub-continental conditions, but the Englishman silenced the critics by delivering with both bat and ball in both the Tests against Bangladesh.
#3 Jonny Bairstow
When Bairstow was called in to replace Jos Buttler as England’s wicket-keeper, a lot of eyebrows were raised. But the Yorkshire man proved that the decision was a right one by scoring tons of runs in the last one year.
Bairstow is coming into the series in red-hot form as he is on a roll with the willow and has scored the most Test runs by a batsman in 2016. In spite of batting well against Bangladeshi spinners, he is yet to face quality spin attack on turning wickets. So, underestimating Bairstow will be a huge mistake.
Given the kind of form he is in, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have their task cut out when they come on to bowl against him. The England team management would want Bairstow to come good to seal yet another series win in India.
#4 Alastair Cook
It is a well-known fact that Alastair Cook loves scoring runs against India. The last time when the Poms toured India, they created history by winning the Test series 2-1 and Cook was the star of the show as he piled on 562 runs in four matches at an average of 80.28.
Coming into the five-match Test series, Cook is struggling to score runs and was troubled by the Bangladeshi spinners. His 59 in the second innings of the second Test should give Cook a lot of confidence going into the Indian tour.
Given his reputation to score runs, Virat Kohli’s men won’t take Cook lightly as a good player like him is always an innings away from getting back to form.
#5 Joe Root
Joe Root is to England what Virat Kohli is to India. Just like Kohli, Root has stamped his authority over the bowlers across the world but, there are doubts over his ability to counter spin on turning tracks.
In his brief Test career, Joe Root has played only one match in the sub-continent (his debut against India at Nagpur) before England’s tour of Bangladesh. In the two Tests against Bangladesh, Root had a couple of good innings, but he was not at his best against the spinners throughout the series.
This series is a huge one for Joe Root as this will determine whether he is in the same league as the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson etc.
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