India v England - Test Series Preview

One of the best things about sport is that it offers brutal tests of the gifted. Rugby’s ultimate test is a match against the All Blacks, a trip to the Camp Nou is now generally regarded as club football’s stiffest challenge, The Tour De France is the ultimate cycling race, and the 100m is the Olympic highlight. All of them hold a certain prestige no matter whom the competitors and all present the toughest challenge in their sport. Cricket has several challenges but none quite as defining and as severe as the tour of India, and Alistair Cook’s England embark on a chance for redemption like no other early tomorrow.

The No.1 ranked team in the world just after thrashing India over a year ago on home soil, England have been unable to live upto that ranking like so many before them since the great Australia side that won 2-1 here all the way back in 2004-5. Just three wins in 11 tests since that crowning is an incredibly poor strike rate for a side which has so much talent and power, although the failings were all the same; Sub-continental, variable pitches.

Pakistan used the magic of Saeed Ajmal to whitewash England in their home series, Sri Lanka did the same with Herath, and then they were usurped at home by South Africa in the summer, with two of their wins coming against a West Indies side in complete disarray and unfit for the test game in midsummer. How can England improve on that record, which took it to no wins in a subcontential series apart from Bangladesh since 2001? Those looking for small comforts should note that England did actually win their last test in Asia against Sri Lanka in Colombo in good style, and that they have come here and prepared with plenty of experience in tour matches beforehand. Three weeks of playing tour matches against local sides has allowed for the top 6 to make centuries; On paper at least, a much more beneficial preparation than the two games they’d played in the UAE and then Sri Lanka before starting the series.

One would like to think that the comprehensive win against Sri Lanka indicated an improvement that might just have come after a whole winter of trying and failing to play spin on slow Asian pitches beforehand, although there’s a danger of rating a 1-1 draw against a side still searching for their first series win since Muttiah Muralitharan's retirement.

There are positives for this this England side. Their batting may have failed on numerous occasions in Asia but there’s still a case for their attack being the best in the world, its reputation having arguably been boosted in the midst of their 3-0 defeat in the UAE, with Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad taking a remarkable 24 wickets between them in Dubai and Anderson proving to be the best quick bowler by far in Sri Lanka with 9 wickets. Adding in the rapid progress of Steven Finn, who’s unique length gives him the extra dimension needed to test the home batsmen on their own soil.

The only problem is that Steven Finn – England’s best fast bowler when much of the side that had humped India in home soil got a revenge battering in the ODI’s by 5-0 around a year ago - misses the first test with a thigh injury, while Stuart Broad may play but has been held back by a niggling heel injury, bowling just 10 overs on tour so far. 

This leaves much of the responsibility on Graeme Swann, a spinner who can be ranked right up there with the world’s best, Monty Panesar, who enjoyed a recent renaissance earlier in the year, and the versatile Samit Patel, who can play a third spinner for England to apply pressure and rest the seamers. Swann took 13 and 16 wickets in both series this winter and must fire if England are to have any shred of hope, but has never been found wanting on the subcontinent before and with doubts over the other bowlers, makes appeal to be England’s top bowler over the four tests with main danger – in my mind - Steven Finn – missing the first test and the pitches set up to help him.

In terms of the batsmen the reintegrated Kevin Pietersen will be seen as the one man India fear, for all that he’s not impervious to struggles against left handed spin, especially that of Yuvraj Singh. Alistair Cook – facing the toughest inauguration any captain could wish for –is an attractive candidate with many test runs in either Asia or high pressure situations, but Jonathan Trott top scored in both series when England were being thrashed earlier this year and is the obvious selection with his obdurate temperament and technique likely to restrain and Indian spin attack which isn’t what it used to be.

Despite that not being the least of the home side’s problems – this is the side that lost eight tests on the bounce to England and Australia – home records must be respected. Since 2 November 2007, India have played 27 tests at home. They’ve won 15, drawn 10 and lost just 2 of those – an exceptional record in anyone’s language, even if the winning rate isn’t as high as it used to be. Yes, the batting lineup isn’t as feared as it once was, and their two main spinners in Ashwin and Ojha have just 24 tests between them, but this is a golden opportunity to beat a side who for all their talents, are just as poor travelling as the under pressure hosts.

Since England's 1-1 draw in 2005/6, only South Africa (twice) have avoided defeat here or even managed to win a Test, while they’ve won 10 and drawn four of the 14 series since they went down 2-1 to an all-time-great Australia side in 2004. Eight of those series have been won to nil, five ending 2-0 to the hosts, and with only one venue of the four having a 100% result record, a dutch of 2 and 3-0 becomes the obvious choice, with superstar Virat Kholi and Cheteshwar Pujara – described by some as the long term replacement for Rahul Dravid – taken to lead the way for a home success, even if the series does start slowly at a venue where India have won just one of their last 7 tests.

Advice – India v England Series

1 pt India 2-0 (11/2 general)

1 pt India 3-0 (7/1 Ladbrokes, 13/2 general)

Advice - Top England Batsman

1 pt Jonathan Trott (4/1 general)

Advice - Top England Bowler

2 pts Graeme Swann (7/4 Ladbrokes)

Advice – Top India Batsman

2 pts Virat Kohli (7/2 general)

1 pt Cheteshwar Pujara (11/2 general)

Advice – Top series batsman

2 pts Virat Kohli (11/2 general)

1 pt each/way Cheteshwar Pujara (11/1 Paddy Power)

Advice – Top series bowler

1 pt Graeme Swann (8/1 Sportingbet) 


Advice - 1st Test 

2 pts Draw (6/4 Sportingbet)