Can India face last year’s England? It is a cheeky question that is doing the rounds on social media. India are leading the 5-Test series which remained incomplete last year 2-1 ahead of the rescheduled final Test, starting July 1in Birmingham. But there have been some dramatic changes in both camps ever since they last met at the Old.
Under Virat Kohli, India had the opportunity to win a Test series on English soil for only the 4th time in their history. The momentum was with India after having registered a sensational comeback from behind victory at the Oval in London.
India and England had drawn the first Test in Nottingham before India flaunted their sensational pace bowling prowess at the Home of Cricket to go 1-0 up with a victory in the 2nd Test at Lord’s. However, India was hammered by an innings and 76 runs after a disappointing batting show in Leeds. However, Virat Kohli’s men bounced back from the crushing defeat to go 2-1 up with another win in London, this time at the Oval.
Just when it looked like India would ride the momentum and gear up for some magic in Manchester, the final Test was postponed due to Covid-19 concerns in the Indian camp.
India still the favorites to win the 5th Test, which will now be played in Birmingham more than 6 months after the scheduled Manchester date?
Definitely not!
England on a roll. The cricket they played against India at home last year is vastly different from the one they are playing under a new leadership group. On the other hand, India doesn’t have the cushion of having got used to the English conditions ahead of an all-important series decider.
They had a 4-day practice match in Leicestershire earlier this week, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions in the visiting camp.
STOKES A NEW ERA
While the English white-ball teams were a force to reckon with, the Test team was in the doldrums, having won only 2 of its last 17 Tests before they faced New Zealand at home in June.
However, England made wholesale changes to their Test set-up after a 4-0 drubbing in the Ashes and an away series loss in the West Indies in early 2022.
Joe Root stepped down. Ben Stokes took over as captain. Chris Silver wood was sacked as head coach. Brendon McCallum came on board as the Test team’s head coach in a move that helped raise a few eyebrows.
However, the Stokes McCallum combination has been a treat to watch so far. If early signs are anything to go by, England is going to play a fearless and entertaining brand of cricket in the longest format of the game.
The sample size to validate their approach is too small -- 3 Test matches against New Zealand. But the gamble paid off against the world champions. England adopted a no-holds-barred approach and chased down totals in excess of 250 with aplomb -- 277 in 78.5 overs, 299 in 50, and 296 in 54.2 overs, Under the new leadership group, there seems to be more clarity in the side with well-defined roles for each member.
“I’m aggressive, but I think he might have me covered, to be honest,” McCallum said, adding that Stokes had suggested England chase down 296 in just 40 overs and finish the game inside 3 days in Leeds.
Keep in mind, that Stokes is a central character to the conclusion of this series, but the star all-rounder was not part of the 4 matches last year.
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