Kohlis form to Stokes break: Talking points for Indias tour of England

Virat Kohli
will be looking to get consecutive Test series win against England as India’s five-match
series begins at the Trent Bridge, Nottingham on August 4. Meanwhile, Joe Root
and his men will be looking to avenge the 3-1 series loss in the subcontinent, where
the condition of pitches at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium was a controversial
point of discussion.

The hosts
will undoubtedly be looking to make the most of home advantage this time, as the
Indian batters are notoriously ineffective against the seaming Dukes ball in
England.

Also Read | India’s tour of England, 5-match Test series: All you need to know

Here are
the five main talking points of the upcoming series:

Virat Kohli’s
form:

Virat Kohli
is one of the greatest batsmen of his generation. The Indian skipper has consistently
scored runs in all three formats of the game and has scored plenty of runs both
at home and abroad. In his last tour of England in 2018, he scored 593 runs, including
three fifties and two tons.

However, he
has looked a little worse for wear in recent times, scoring only 345 runs in
his last 8 Tests since the start of 2020, at an average of 24,64. And the English
conditions are one of his weaknesses, like Kyle Jamieson showed in the recent
World Test Championship.

Also Read | Learnt from my mistakes: Rishabh Pant ahead of first India-England Test

Ben Stokes taking
an “indefinite break”:

Star all-rounder
Ben Stokes announced on Friday that he is taking an indefinite break from all
forms of cricket to look after his mental well-being. The announcement came as
a huge loss for England, as Stokes can turn any game with either bat or ball.

England’s
batting fragility:

New Zealand
exposed England’s batting fragilities in their recent 1-0 series win that ended
the hosts’ seven-year unbeaten streak at home. While skipper Joe Root has a
Test average of 48.68, the next best in the side is opener Rory Burns’ 33.23,
while Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope’s form hasn’t been great.

Also Read | Prithvi Shaw, Surkyakumar Yadav included in India squad for England Tests 

Bowlers’
battle:

The
five-match series will be played in just 42 days, which will add strain on the
pacers. India have brought an enlarged squad for the series, with Ishant Sharma,
Jasprit Bumrah Mohammad Shami expected to be the frontline seam attack for the
visitors.  

Meanwhile, James Anderson and Stuart Broad are England’s two all-time top wicket-takers and the two seam masters will be looking to add make the most of home advantage and add to their respective tallies.   

Can India tackle
ghosts of past?

India’s
last two series in England in 2011 and 2018 have resulted in heavy 4-0 and 4-1
losses and they haven’t won a series in England since 2007. However, like coach
Justin Langer said after Australia’s unexpected home series loss against India
earlier this year, “never underestimate the Indians”.