Virat Kohli’s India are widely regarded as one of the best touring teams world cricket has seen over the past few years, and after conquering the Aussie shores twice, the attention of the Men In Blue turns to the final frontier, the home of test cricket.
The Men in Blue lost 4-1 the last time they toured England in 2018, but that scoreline doesn’t tell you the entire picture. India were in the contest for most of that series, and having learned from those experiences, here are three reasons why India can beat England in England this summer…and Ben Stokes’ absence isn’t one of them!
1. Fast Bowling Cartel
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The Indian team are currently going through a golden age of fast bowling with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Siraj all at the top of their game. The Indian fast bowling cartel can hold their own amongst the best in the world at the moment and have been the backbone for India’s recent away success. Shami, Bumrah and Ishant were excellent in England in 2018 and have picked up over 60 test wickets each in the last 3 years with an average below 25 and a strike rate of around 50.
Add to that the likes of Mohammad Siraj and Shardul Thakur who impressed in Australia earlier this year, and India’s fast bowlers will be licking their lips this summer when they come up against the brittle English batting line-up.
2. Kohli’s England Experience
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Virat Kohli is yet to score an international century in nearly two years, but the Indian captain is still on top of his game and has scored the 2nd most runs in Test cricket since 2018 at an average of nearly 50.
Kohli mastered the English conditions in 2018, scoring 593 runs and two centuries in five Test matches, and his template of batting outside the crease to counter the swing and playing the ball late was on show in the final of the ICC World Test Championship final as well. These experiences will hold Kohli in good stead and the Indian captain will be determined to remind the world that he is still the best batsman in the world this summer.
3. The Rishabh Pant X-Factor
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The last time India toured the English shores in 2018, Rishabh Pant was drafted halfway through the series to make his debut against the likes of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad in overcast conditions.
The young pup showed some glimpses of his class with an outstanding century in the final Test at the Oval, but nearly three years later, Pant returns to England as a completely different player. The maverick keeper-batsman has already written himself into Indian cricket folklore with his exploits Down Under earlier this year and is the 4th highest run-scorer in Tests in 2021. Pant has also jumped up to number seven in the ICC Test Batters rankings and will be the ace up Virat Kohli’s sleeve in this series.
Since his debut, no batter barring Quinton de Kock has a higher strike rate than Pant in Tests, and in these low-scoring games, all it could take is one trail-blazing session from the southpaw to win India the match.
Winning a Test series in England is a rare occurrence for an Indian team, but this Virat Kohli-led side has all the ability and talent to create history and cement themselves as arguably the best Test team the country has ever seen.
[Image Credit: Virat Kohli]
Shivaan Shah