England vs India 2018, 1st Test, Birmingham - Preview

India and England will look to start the much-anticipated five-match Test series on a positive note when they square off against each other in the 1st game from August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, India had last won a series on the English soil in 2007 when Rahul Dravid led-side won the three-match Test series 1-0. Since then, the visitor’s have struggled mainly due to their inconsistency to win series, as they lost 4-0 and 3-1 on their last two tours.

However, a confident Virat Kohli & Co will be keen to reverse the scores in the upcoming series. After winning nine series in a row, India lost against South Africa by 2-1 in January 2018. However, after losing the first two games by 72 and 135 runs, respectively, the India team bounced back in the final Test to win by 63 runs.

The seam bowlers did an exceptional job scalping 60 wickets from that tour. But, they will miss Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the first three games while Jasprit Bumrah will miss the first Test. The responsibility now will be on Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav to prove their worth.

The selectors have also picked young Kuldeep Yadav riding on his limited-overs performances. However, India’s Ajinkya Rahane insisted attitude would be key in this series.

“It’s important that as well as working on our skill sets, we prepare our mindset, especially here in England. I feel that it will be a test of our mind and character here,” he said.

On the batting front, India will want all their batsmen to score runs in upcoming games. Notably, India skipper Virat Kohli will be desperate to overhaul his poor record in England. So much so, he wanted to play County cricket in a bid to acclimatise to this condition. However, an untimely shoulder injury ruled him out of the County stint with Surrey.

On the other hand, England has been blowing hot and cold in the Test format. In the last ten bilateral series, they have emerged victorious in four, while they were on losing side in three and three ended drawn.

After a disappointing show in Australia and New Zealand, Joe Root-led side managed to draw the series against Pakistan. However, they are one of those sides who hardly lose games in their backward.

With the bat, Root and Jos Buttler will be the key for the English Team. Both are in terrific form and are likely to trouble the Indian bowlers. Alastair Cook also announced his arrival at the right hammering 180 runs in an unofficial four-day Test against India A.

England’s bowling strength resides mainly in James Anderson and Stuart Broad. They are the best in the business and will have to do the bulk of the job.

Key Players

Virat Kohli (India): Despite his protestations, this one will be personal for Kohli. He had a miserable run on his last visit to England and is desperate to give his figures here a makeover. All eyes will be on how he deals with the moving ball and stays patient with the England pacers likely to test him with an outside-off line.

Besides, given the team’s recent top-order concerns, India will want Kohli to bring stability at No.4. He warmed up with a half-century under pressure in the warm-up game and will want to continue from there.

James Anderson (England): England’s highest wicket-taker in Tests has had a six-week break to rest a troublesome shoulder. His challenge will be first to stay fit for a gruelling summer and then be at his best to tease the Indian top order with pace and movement. Edgbaston is happy hunting grounds for him.

Exciting battles

Both the nations have some quality players in their ranks, and there will be quite some exciting battles up for grab.

The first and topmost exciting battle will be between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and England’s James Anderson. The veteran seamer troubled Kohli the most the last time India toured England in 2014. He dismissed Kohli four times. However, Kohli has improved since then.

The Indian skipper will desperate to reverse the statistics and topple suspended Steven Smith as the best Test batsmen. Meanwhile, he showed some good form in the warm-up game against Essex.

Indian pacers will have their task cut out against England’s highest run-scorer in Tests, Alastair Cook. Cook is coming back from an excellent game against India A and will hope to continue his form. India will rely on Ishant Sharma, the most experienced campaigner to take the onus and dismiss Cook cheaply. The southpaw is known to score daddy hundreds once he get’s his eye in.

The battle of all-rounder between Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes will also be an exciting one. While Stokes has stamped his authority, Pandya is new to Test cricket. The all-rounder who performs well in all the departments will change the dynamics of the game.

Form Guide

England: WLLLD (last five completed matches, most recent first)

India: WWLLW

Fact and Figures

• Edgbaston hosted their first Test match way back in 1902 between England and Australia.
• England have not lost seven of their last Tests in Edgbaston with winning five games and drawn twice.
• The highest score in this ground is 710 for seven, scored by England against India in 2011.
• India and England have squared off in Edgbaston six times before this Test where England has won five times, and one match ended on a draw.

Pitch and Conditions

It has been dry and hot in England – almost like Mumbai or Chennai, according to Ajinkya Rahane, at least. However, recent rains and the work done at the ground have suggested it will still be one that helps the seamers.

It is likely to be cloudy on Wednesday, with highs of 22°C.

Stats and Trivia

• Ben Stokes is two wickets short of 100 wickets in Test cricket.

• Jos Buttler needs 55 runs to complete his 1000 Test runs. Once he gets there, he will become the 2nd English player to get to the mark runs in all the three International formats.

• Ajinkya Rahane is 107 runs shy from 3000 Test runs.

• Ravichandran Ashwin needs 39 runs to complete his 3000 Test runs. If he gets there, he will be the 17th player and only the 4th Indian to take 500+ wickets and score 3000+ runs in international cricket.

Where to Watch

You can watch India vs England 2018, 1st Test Match live on the Sony Network. Sony Liv along with Jio TV will live stream the first Test at Edgbaston.

Predicted XI

Adil Rashid will be the centre of attraction after wide-ranging debates over his selection. The experienced leg-spinner will be key to continue his limited-overs form in the first Test.

England: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root (c), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid

Bench: Moeen Ali, Jamie Porter

KL Rahul will get a place in the first XI in place of Shikhar Dhawan while Mohammed Shami returns to the Test squad. Moreover, all eyes will be on Cheteshwar Pujara, who finds his Test spot in jeopardy.

India: Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav

Bench: Shikhar Dhawan, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur

Match Prediction

It will be a long-series to play, and both the side will be cautious about their approach at the start. With the teams evenly poised, it is going to be an intriguing battle and some exciting cricket for the fans.

While India have a poor record in England, the hosts are unbeatable at home. But considering the current scenario, India have improved a lot in overseas conditions as seen in the South Africa series.

Despite that, England will have a slight advantage of home conditions and go in as the favourites in the first Test.