5 Reasons why this is the best chance for India to win a Test series in England

England has always been one of the toughest places to tour for the Indian cricket team. The lateral movement of the ball in the air and off the pitch is something that even the best in the business found tough to decipher. This aspect of the game has seen the team bag some embarrassing defeats in the country. Also, the Indian team lost the Test series in both their previous two tours in the UK. However, the case is slightly different this time around. A young bunch of people, technically sound, mentally aggressive yet calm and oozing with confidence is on a Bon voyage to the UK with a mission on hand. After having fared decently well in the limited-overs leg of the tour, the focus now shifts to the longest format of the game. The Indian team will play England in a 5-match Test series, which will, of course, be a tough and a grueling one. But, at the same time, this is also India’s best chance to win a Test series in England. We have been hearing for quite some time that this is the most-balanced Indian team we’ve ever seen. Although this team didn’t live up to the expectation in South Africa, there is a good chance that they won’t repeat the mistakes this time around. Here are the reasons why: 1. Genuine fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya of India during day 1. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images) We’ve been talking about the great balance this side possesses for some time now. This is primarily because of the reason that there is a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder in the side. Ever since the retirement of Kapil Dev, the Indian team has never been able to find a trustworthy all-rounder. But, Hardik Pandya somewhat ended this long hunt. Pandya has been very promising and gives flexibility to the management to play an extra batsman which was a huge matter of concern in the previous two tours. If the requirement is, they can also play an extra bowler. Hardik has scored 368 runs in 7 Tests at an average of about 37. What is more staggering is his strike rate of 85 with the bat. With the ball, he has picked 7 wickets and should enjoy the swinging conditions in England. This series will also be a real test of his temperament and will prove how important an asset Pandya is. This was one of the biggest loopholes in the previous tours and it is sorted this time around. 2. Experience Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli. (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) When India toured England in 2014, most of the players went there for the first time. Although this team defeated all the odds at Lords and won the game, lack of experience took the better of them. Since the conditions were alien to these men, they didn’t really know how to fight their way back once they were pushed onto the backfoot. Hence, it resulted in a 1-3 loss after being 1-0 up in the series. After this tour, India went to England to play the Champions Trophy. They have also got a knack for the conditions and the performance in the limited-overs is a testimony. Players like Murali Vijay, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, and others were there quite a few times now and are expected to do better this time. Also, the exuberance of youth in the squad will help. 3. Wrist spinner Indian cricketer Kuldeep Yadav celebrates with his teammates. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) The Indian cricket team has found a lot of success in the Test matches courtesy their spinners. The spinners often run through the oppositions and send shivers down their spines. We’ve also seen Indian skippers playing two or sometimes three spinners in the side. But, England is not a place where they’ve had this freedom. The team was often forced to only field one spinner in the XI as the pitches don’t have much to offer for them. But, this time, the squad boasts of a great wrist-spinner. Kuldeep Yadav has troubled in the English batsmen in the limited-overs formats and is expected to do the same in Tests. The English batsmen have been scratching their heads as to how to deal with this man and he will be hoping to put on a good show. Kuldeep is just finding his strides in Test cricket and has already picked 9 wickets in just 2 games. 4. County stints Photo Source: Getty Images Although the players have the experience of playing Red-ball cricket in England earlier, four years is a lot of time. Quite a few things change in such a long period and remembering the experiences from 2014 is no easy task. Hence, the county stints that some of the Indian players have had will come in really handy. Also, some of the youngsters were a part of the India-A side that toured England. Players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma have plied their trade in county cricket this season. Furthermore, it was in the damp conditions, where the ball swings a long way in which these cricketers have played. Their experience will be invaluable and it is quite obvious that the important messages will be passed on to the other members of the side. 5. Aggressive captaincy and the weather conditions Virat Kohli. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images) There was often a complaint about MS Dhoni‘s style of captaincy, especially while playing overseas. He is considered to be a spin bowlers captain and didn’t really have the confidence in his pacers. As a result, he often let the game go with the flow and on occasion let it drift away. However, Virat is quite lucky to have some great pacers in his armour which complements his captaincy style. He forces the opposition to commit mistakes with his aggressiveness and hence found some great success in Test cricket. It will be interesting to see how well these tactics work out in a place like England. Also, something else that is expected to assist the Indians big time in the weather in the UK this summer. Its been quite hot which makes the conditions more familiar to the Indians and they will hope for the weather to be this way throughout this long tour.

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

IPL Teams

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

5 Reasons why this is the best chance for India to win a Test series in England

India are currently the favourites ahead of the start of the Test series.

4. County stints

Latest Articles

TR: KKR buy Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 crore

SRH get Shami for INR 10 crore

IPL 2025 mega auction: Iyer’s IPL salary sees 118% increase