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India vs. England: bullet point preview

Not going to have the time to do an in-depth preview of what looks to be a fascinating series so here are some (not very organised) thoughts, primarily from an Indian perspective -

  • England are not going to be anywhere near the underdogs that they are being made out to be by the likes of George Dobell and Sourav Ganguly. They have the best record against India (home and away) in recent years for a very good reason and will pose a stiff challenge.
  • The absence of two arguably first choice batters now in KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will be a big factor in England's favour and make the batting line-ups much more evenly matched. That said, this Indian side does bat deeper (especially in home conditions) than a lot of recent India sides.
  • India have a history of doing poorly against unfancied spinners at home. Shaun Udal, Nicky Boje, Michael Clarke for heaven's sake! I wouldn't be writing Moeen Ali and co off at all.
  • The contest between Kohli and Root will be interesting to watch. They are clearly the "star" batsmen now for their teams but don't be surprised if the under-rated Rahane and ever resilient Cook come away with the batting honours.
  • The all-rounders will be the MVPs as usual though. Ben Stokes was the difference between a 0-2 defeat to Bangladesh and a more respectable drawn outcome. If he can stay fit and firing through the five Tests, England will swing with him. Similarly, India's fortunes move quite closely with Ashwin's form with ball (and bat recently).
  • The toss. Such an important factor and Kohli's remarkable luck so far has to give. If England can win tosses and bat first, they will fancy their chances. It will also even up the contest and make for great viewing.
All in all, lots to look forward to, even if the two teams are not quite as good as those ranked #1 and #4 should be. Anything less than a 3-1 victory will be a poor result for India and a good one for England. My vote for best batsmen and bowlers of the series for either side -

England: Cook, Broad
India: Rahane, Ashwin

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