England vs India, 2018: Combined XI of the Test series

The 5-match Test series between England and India concluded with England winning it 4-1. The hosts have dominated India majority of the times in the series. Although India fought hard, they lacked a complete team effort in their batting except for in the third Test. Skipper Virat Kohli was the lone warrior for the team and was just exceptional.

For England, they had a new match winner in almost every game. This will be quite a memorable series for them for two reasons. Firstly, they defeated the ICC No 1 Test side by quite a comprehensive scoreline. Secondly, it is the farewell series for probably their greatest Test cricketer, Alastair Cook. There have been some exceptional performers from both the sides in the series. Here is the combined XI of these top players.

Combined XI for the Test series:

1. Alastair Cook

One of the toughest choices in this XI is picking both the openers. None of the openers from both the teams had a convincing series. Alastair Cook had a dismal first four games in this series. With a high score of 29, the 33-year-old only managed to pile up 109 runs in the first four Tests. These performances might have also triggered the thought of hanging up his boots.

However, in his final Test match, the former English skipper put up an unbelievable show. There was a completely different man batting out there in the middle with absolutely no pressure. He scored 71 in the first innings and followed it up with a memorable 147 in the second innings. All of a sudden, he was right up there among the highest run scorers in the series and ended with 327 runs in 9 innings in his last Test series.

2. KL Rahul

KL Rahul had shown a lot of promise in the limited-overs leg of the tour. He did so well that India actually dropped their ever-reliable Cheteshwar Pujara in the first Test and went ahead with him. His fate was somewhat similar to that of Alastair Cook. He only managed to accumulate 113 runs in 8 innings in the first four Test matches.

Rahul failed to convert his starts and particularly struggled against the incoming deliveries. However, he came out with a complete positive mindset for the last game. He looked promising with 37 off 53 balls in the first innings. What followed in the second innings was even more brilliant. He notched up his 5th Test century in tough conditions and scored 149 runs in this innings. Although just one game is not exactly the way to judge the best two openers, these two have looked much more at ease and outshined the other openers who have played in the series.

3. Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara caused a lot of stir in the media when he was dropped for the first Test. He put in the hard steps and played county cricket to prepare for this series. However, when he made a comeback into the playing XI in the second Test, he didn’t perform up to the potential which raised quite a few questions.

He looked good in the third Test with a 72 but there was a lot more expected of him. Pujara made a statement in the fourth Test of the series which a blistering century and proved as to why he was the perfect No 3 batsmen in the Indian lineup. He carried his bat in the first innings of that Test with an unbeaten 132 although it came in a losing cause. In the series, he scored 278 runs in 8 innings at an average close to 40 even though he had his troubles against the incoming deliveries.

4. Virat Kohli

While most of the other batsmen struggled in the series, one man stood up to the occasion and was unbelievably consistent. The Indian skipper was magnificent in the series and was the lone warrior for India. Baring the second innings of the fifth Test, Kohli was right on the top of the English bowlers.

Although some might argue that he has had his fair share of luck, remember, luck only favours the brave. He looked flawless more often than not and scored 593 runs in 10 innings including two centuries while he narrowly missed out on a third. India’s fortunes in this series depended on how long he stayed out there in the middle but it is sad to see most of the efforts end up in losing causes.

5. Joe Root (C)

English skipper Joe Root started off the Test series with an 80 in the first match. However, his graph went down since then and has struggled with his consistency. Although he got off to some notable starts, he threw his wicket away at times and has also made a wrong call with the toss in the third Test.

But, in the final innings of this series, he notched up his 14th Test century and scored at a brisk pace. Alongside Alastair Cook, he stitched a wonderful partnership which helped England get into a commanding position in the game. He ended the series with 319 runs in 9 innings at an average of just over 35 and will be leading this combined XI.

6. Jos Buttler (WK)

Jos Buttler has been a saviour for England in this series. He came into bat lower down the order and took games away from India with his brisk scoring rates. Buttler was the highest run scorer for England and also donned the keeping gloves when Jonny Bairstow was injured.

The wicket-keeper batsman has scored 349 runs at an average of 39 and was one of the most consistent English batsmen. He also scored a century in the series while he missed out on one on one or two occasions. Buttler will be taking the role of the wicket-keeper in this combined XI.

7. Sam Curran

Sam Curran was picked in the England side as one of the fast bowling options. But, he took everyone by surprise with his ability with the bat. He bailed England out of tough situations and played a major role in one or two of their wins in the series. The Indian bowlers, who were brilliant failed to decode the secret behind Sam Curran’s batting as the 20-year-old completely dominated them.

He is up among the leading run scorers in the series and has piled up 272 runs in 7 innings. With the ball, he picked 11 wickets in 4 games. In fact, he was also the ‘Man of the Match’ in the first Test of the series. In the final Test, he helped England wrap things up quickly by picking two important wickets at the end.

8. Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali was not even in contention to make it to the playing XI in the first three Tests of the series. But, he went back to play county cricket and scored massively over there with the bat which made the management reconsider their thoughts. He was picked for the 4th Test and wrecked havoc immediately. The off-spinner picked 9 wickets at Southampton which made the fans reminisce his exploits at the same venue in 2014.

Ali is the leading wicket-taker in the series among the spinner. He picked 12 wickets in the four innings that he bowled. The 31-year-old scored 119 runs with the bat at an average close to 30. He will be taking the spin bowling responsibilities in this XI and can be used as a floater in the batting line up.

9. Ishant Sharma

The vastly experienced lanky fast bowler was one of the best performers for the team with the ball. He made the most out of the previous experiences playing in England. Also, his county stint came in handy for him. He particularly troubled the left-handed batsmen and Alastair Cook never seemed to be at ease while playing him.

Ishant bowled a beautiful away swinger to the left-handers while bowling from around the stumps which made him so effective. With 18 wickets, he was the leading wicket-taker for the team. He averaged just above 24 which was quite brilliant.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah had to miss out the first two Test matches due to the injury he sustained in the 2nd T20I against Ireland. In his absence, the bowling line up seemed to lack that x-factor in the initial two games. But, as soon as he came back into the XI, he made an impact.

By picking 7 wickets in the third Test, he played an important role in helping India win the game. Bumrah picked 14 wickets in three matches at an average of 26. He hit the right areas and provided a great boost to the team in the series.

11. James Anderson

The Virat Kohli-James Anderson battle was most sought after battle before this series began. However, Anderson failed to get the legendary batsman even once but has had his moments. He would be considering himself as unlucky for all those catch drops and missed edges.

Although he missed out against Kohli, Anderson was on the top of most of the other Indian batsmen. He was the leading wicket-taker in the series with 24 wickets. Also, he surpassed Glenn McGrath‘s record of 563 Test wickets. He ended the series with 564 scalps to get to the fourth position on the list of leading wicket-takers, the highest for a fast bowler.