IND vs ENG, 1st Test: India set to challenge England’s ‘Bazball’
England’s ultra-aggressive style of cricket in Tests will be put to a serious test when a formidable India take on the visitors in the first Test
Hyderabad: England’s ultra-aggressive style of cricket in Tests will be put to a serious test when a formidable India take on the visitors in the first Test, beginning Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.
The new brand of fearlessness and counter-attacking cricket – the Bazball – has yielded good results for the Ben Stokes’ side in the recent past and has become the focal point of Test cricket. But they will face a tough challenge in sub-continental conditions where they will be up against hosts on rank turners, posing serious threat to their approach.
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In addition, India have been near-invincible in home conditions. They haven’t lost a series since 2012 at home, notching up 16 series wins including seven series sweeps, showcasing their dominance. Incidentally, it was the touring England team that won a series against India way back in 2012.
India are once again set to dominate with a strong all-round squad. Though they will be missing Virat Kohli, who chose to skip the first two Tests owing to personal reasons, India have enough talent to replace the talismanic batter. The crowd in Hyderabad, which is hosting a Test match after a gap of five years, will surely miss the superstar of Indian cricket.
In Shreyas Iyer, they have an able cricketer who can replace Kohli at number 4. While Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings, Shubman Gill at No.3 gives a solid look to the Indian top order. With KL Rahul, wicketkeeper KS Bharat, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin to follow, the English bowlers have a tough job at hand.
However, the strength of India lies in their spin department. With Ashwin and Jadeja assured of spots in the playing XI, the third-spinner spot will be a toss-up between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. “It is a good headache to have. Axar, with his all-round performance and consistent show, provides a great option. On the other hand, Kuldeep has evolved as a bowler and his variety on these kinds of pitches present a case for himself,” said Rohit Sharma on the eve of the match.
Meanwhile, anticipating a rank turner, England have announced their playing XI omitting their veteran pacer James Anderson. With Mark Wood as their only pacer, the Three Lions have named three spinners – Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and debutant Tom Hartley. Barring Leach and Anderson, none of them have any experience of playing Tests in Indian conditions. While an inexperienced bowling attack is a worrying factor for the visitors, their fortunes will cling on to the performances of their key batters Joe Root, Stokes.
The last Test in Hyderabad between India and West Indies in 2018 lasted only three days. The city cricket fans craving for Test cricket will have a treat on offer with such quality sides clashing with each other. But will it be just another short affair or will it go till the last day will depend on the pitch that is on offer.
