England vs India, 2018: 5 players to look out for

Both India and England are on a terrific run. In the month of June, India played just the one Test and 2 T20Is against much smaller opponents. India won all three matches but of course, their opponents were minnows Afghanistan and Ireland. England too has much to boast about. In the last month, not only did they win the 2nd Test against Pakistan, but more importantly they thrashed Australia in 5 ODIs and the only T20I. England are fresh off a record-breaking series that included the highest-ever ODI team score of 481.

Last time India toured England, Virat Kohli wasn't the captain and not nearly the man he is today. Prince Harry was still a bachelor. Smith and Warner were still playing for Australia and so was Stokes for England. But halfway through 2018 and how the tides have changed. Each of the incidents mentioned above have had an impact on the series. Ok, maybe not Prince Harry's marriage. He did, however, break tradition. Never-mind! England and India are arguably the strongest cricket teams on the planet. Don't let the rankings fool you, this is the fight everyone has been cramming for.

As we patiently wait for the series to begin, these are the top 5 players the cricket fraternity would be looking at during the bilateral series.

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#5 Jos Buttler

Man of the Series against Australia, a Herculean effort in the final ODI and a half-century in the T20I at a strike rate of over 200, Jos Buttler is going through a Purple patch. He would face an uphill battle against the seam-spin combo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Chahal, we will know soon enough if he is up for a fight!

Here's what his last 10 innings look like - 61, 110*, 54*, 11, 91*, 9, 80*, 67, 39, 94*. Can he prove his mettle once again and silence his critics once and for all. We have to wait and watch. The next guy is on the list because the guy who was supposed to be on the list broke his fingers.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

With India's premier seamer Bumrah out of T20Is and possibly from the entire series, all eyes would be on the ever dependable Bhuvneshwar Kumar. With a mediocre IPL behind him, Kumar would be looking to make an impact in England. He is definitely one to watch out for.

With a rather mediocre-IPL behind him, Kumar would be looking to redeem himself and hoping that the conditions would suit his seam. Next, we look at a spinner who is not from the India side.

#3 Adil Rashid

The other person in the English team who ensured that Australia went winless against them. He took 12 wickets in a series where 7 of the 8 top scorers had an average of over 100. He carried that form to the lone T20I and won the man of the match award. Adil along with Ali would be looking to spin England's fortunes against a formidable batting line-up.

The list seems to be missing some firepower. There's is a reason for it. Believe me, the top 2 won't disappoint.

#2 Virat Kohli

Can we even have a list without this man? The top-ranked Indian batsman across the three formats and the captain. His last visit to England was, let's just say a bad dream. Let's just leave it at that. He doesn't need redemption, he needs validation from the one country where he didn't perform. Don't forget folks, for him anything short of an excellent series would be embarrassing.

Yet, he isn't the most important player of the series. That honour goes to.......

#1 Ben Stokes

The bad boy of English cricket, the prodigal son returns to limited overs cricket. Last year, a forgetful altercation landed the talented all-rounded behind bars. He lost his place in the squad, a major sponsorship and the love of English fans. But life and cricket always give you a chance to redeem and this series is his. The number one player to look out for is Ben Stokes.

Honourable Mentions: Shikhar Dhawan, Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow

This bilateral series will either be one for the ages or a total dud. There's is no middle ground. Cheers!