Former India batsman Rahul Dravid on Sunday predicted India will record a 3-2 win in their upcoming five-match Test series against England. He said that it was the visitors’ “best chance” to win a series in England for the first time since 2007, which was led by Dravid himself. 

“I really do think India have a very good chance this time”, said Dravid in a webinar, which was organised by Live Aid India, a trust to help those affected by COVID-19.

Dravid is currently the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. He felt that Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin facing off against all-rounder Ben Stokes would bring about an “interesting subplot” in what could be an intriguing series.

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“There’s no question about their (England’s) bowling. Whatever bowling attack England put on the park, especially their seam-bowling attack, is going to be fantastic. They have a lot of players to pick and choose from and that’s going to be terrific”, said Dravid. “But if you look at their top six or top seven, you really think of one great batsman, a world-class batsman who is Joe Root.

“Obviously, Ben Stokes is another one, who is a good all-rounder, but for some reason, Ashwin seems to do well against him. And that should be an interesting contest. I know he’s done well against him (Stokes) in India, but it’ll still be an interesting subplot to the series”, said Dravid.

India go to the series with a historic series win in Australia and a dominant victory over England in India, on their back.

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“… But I just think India will be well-prepared, have the confidence from Australia, there’s lot of belief in the squad”, added Dravid. “A couple of players have been to England a few times, there’s a lot of experience in the batting order this time around, so this is probably our best chance, maybe say 3-2 to India”.

The former captain said that India, to their advantage, will get a lot of time to prepare there for the rubber. “I think India will play really well in England this time”, said Dravid.

“It’s a great opportunity we’ve got. After the WTC final, they’re going to be in England for a whole month before the Test series starts. I don’t think any team has had that kind of time to prepare for a Test series as India will have this time, so that surely should be a great advantage. In England, if there’s one thing you’ve always got to respect, it’s the conditions. It’s slightly different from say an Australia or India”, said Dravid.

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“To some extent, you sort of get the feeling (as batsmen) that you’re never set. Even if you’re set and you get a good start, batting on 30, 40, 50, things can change very quickly, the weather can change, the ball can swing even after it’s 40-50 overs old,” said Dravid.