England and India are all set to lock horns in what promises to be a cliffhanger of a five-Test series. Edgbaston in Birmingham will be the setting for what is England’s 1, 000th Test match.
Such is the quality stacked on both sides choosing early favourites for the series is no easy task.
As the two heavyweights get ready to collide on Wednesday, we take a look at the key players who could prove to be decisive.
JOE ROOT V VIRAT KOHLI
In Virat Kohli, India have a skipper who very much likes to lead from the front. While his exploits in limited-overs cricket were for all to see, Kohli has really turned it around when it comes to the Test format ever since he took over the captaincy in 2015.
Now, the superstar comes into the series as the top-ranked batsman currently active in international cricket. Even though he has his own demons to banish from his previous tour in 2014, especially with regards to James Anderson, Kohli will know that his performance with the bat could very much dictate the overall outcome of the series.
Kohli has established himself as one of the top Test batsmen.
Root, on the other hand, has not had as successful a run as skipper as Kohli but his performances with the bat have stayed as consistent as ever. What does ail the England captain though, is his growing inability to convert his 50-plus scores into centuries in recent times.
Since his mammoth 254 against Pakistan at Manchester in 2016, Root has only managed to register three Test tons, a pitiful mark for a batsman who is ranked third in the ICC table behind Kohli. While his leadership abilities will be tested to the hilt, the focus will very much be on Root the batsman.
Root has been struggling to convert his fifties into hundreds.
ADIL RASHID V RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN
The buildup to the Test series has been marred by the controversy created by Adil Rashid’s recall to the England squad. The leg-spinner has not played Test cricket since the end of 2016 before taking a self-imposed exile from red-ball cricket for Yorkshire.
His two leg-spinning rippers which dismissed Kohli in the ODI series is perhaps what persuaded chief selector Ed Smith to hand him a Test recall. It is a bold move from England with the risks being high but if he can keep toppling, it will be a highly rewarding one.
Rashid’s recall has already divided opinions in England.
On the other hand, Ashwin’s pedigree with the red-ball is indisputable. With 318 Test wickets to his name at an average of approximately 25, the senior India spinner will fancy his chances of putting in a good showing in England.
He has further bolstered his experience of playing in English conditions by undergoing a county stint with Worcestershire last year. While Kuldeep Yadav’s ‘mystery’ will be a temping option for Kohli, Ashwin’s experience should make him the indisputable first choice in the spin department.
The 31-year-old’s mastery provides India the edge in the spin-department over the hosts.
Ashwin gives India the edge in the spin-department.
STUART BROAD V ISHANT SHARMA
Ishant Sharma’s numbers in Test cricket are nothing to shout home about. Despite that, the lanky pacer has played 82 Tests for his country. He very much has the reputation of being an ‘unlucky’ bowler. On some days, he can bowl the most menacing of spells without picking up a wicket. On others, he can run through batting line-ups at will as his match-winning figures of 7-74 at Lord’s in India’s previous tour of 2014 showed.
The 29-year-old enjoyed a fruitful maiden county stint with Sussex earlier this summer and that experience should hold him in good stead for the series.
Ishant Sharma has turned into a consistent performer.
In Stuart Broad, England have an experienced veteran who can perfectly compliment James Anderson’s skills with the red-ball. With over 100 Tests and 400 wickets under his belt, Broad has been forging a successful partnership with Anderson for the best part of a decade.
However, his powers have been declining in recent times with just one five-wicket haul to his name since the turn of 2017. What he does love though, is bowling against India in England. In the nine Tests he has played against the opponents at home, Broad has picked up 44 wickets at an average of 17.79.
Broad will relish bowling against India in his own backyard.
