The Anthony de Mello Trophy is all set to set the stage for the action to begin in a week. The five-match Test series between India and England will kick off at Hyderabad’s renovated Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The visitors are grinding through their preparatory camp in Dubai and they are bound to land just three days before the first Test.
They want to start all guns blazing from the first ball of the highly anticipated Test series. Probably this is their best chance to stamp their mark on Indian soil since 2012. Accordingly, they have assembled an army to conquer Indian tracks. There is always a chit-chat going on from the visitors’ when they fail to hold themselves up.
With Ollie Pope coming out and stating England won’t complain about pitches this time, says a lot about the change that has been brought to their system. James Anderson who may bid adieu to cricket post this tour has spoken about England’s chances to open with two spinners. Things have started warming up even before the teams arrived at the venue.
Let’s look at the top five reasons why England have the best chance against India in the 2024 Test series:
5. Winning Momentum
England Test Cricket team. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
England have been hammering their opponents in the last two years or so. McCullum is about to complete two years at the helm in a few months. During this brief stint, England have played 18 Tests, winning 13 of them, only one draw came at last year’s Ashes Test at Manchester.
Many will argue about only 5 Tests that came in abroad in which they lost one to New Zealand at Wellington. But their subcontinent exposure came back in 2012 when they belted out Pakistan at their home with a 3-0 series win. Harry Brook took that series by storm. In recent times, post Ashes back in July England are yet to play Test cricket.
Even there, how they came back after being 0-2 down and eventually making it 2-2 post-Oval Test was commendable. One thing can be assured that England won’t take a step back, they may go two steps further. That’s their mantra to success in the Test format in recent times. If they stick to their plans and get some luck on their side, India may concede a series defeat.
4. Bazball
Joe Root and Harry Brook. (Photo Source: Twitter/England Cricket)
The most buzzing term around Test Cricket going around has to be ‘Bazball’. Ever since Brendon McCullum took charge of England’s Test squad, they have changed the colours of their playing style. Irrespective of the playing conditions, England have managed to keep their playing style the same.
Their mindset to always attack the opponent and score piles of runs quickly have worked in their favour. They always look to dominate their opponents from the word go. Stokes always prefers to go for the win rather than settling for a draw. So far, results have gone in their favour in most of the cases. Now, they are eagerly waiting for the India Assignment.
Former England Test cap and Cricket Pundit Nasser Hussain has warned India saying- “Bazball won’t die wondering.” It will be interesting to how Team India prepares the pitches which are always the talk of the town. With the nothing-to-lose attitude that England play their Test cricket nowadays will be tested. If it comes good, then India will be under a serious threat.
3. Batting Form
England SS.(Photo Source: Twitter/EnglandCricket)
England’s batting unit has shown dominance in recent times. The likes of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and Ben Duckett will look at this tour of redemption. They will be touring India for the second time with much more experience and most importantly they’ll bring ‘good’ batting form along.
The right-hand bat Zak Crawley just had a dream Ashes in July at home soil. His 480 run aggregate was second only to the series-best 496 by Usman Khawaja. He was duly backed by Brendon McCullum who saw shades of his own in Crawley. He will be joined by Joe Root who is himself a master of batting craft.
All eyes will be on Ollie Pope who has started to peak at the right time. His best year in Test Cricket came last year with 405 runs in 5 tests. He’s supposedly the vice-captain on the tour. Ben Duckett will join the formidable batting line-up along with obvious Ben Stokes.
2. Most competent squad
England vs Australia. (Photo Source: Jan Kruger – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)
The touring England squad has all their bases covered. They have the right mix of four frontline pacers and four quality spinners. Discussions can be made on the experience the squad carries to win a Test series in India. But at the same time, this England Team isn’t like any other test time. They are like the fearless bull in the jungle who’ll run through their opponent in the blink of an eye.
Their never-say-die attitude and ‘always go for the win no matter what happens’ may work in their way. Batters will take their chances against Indian spinners and if they succeed in taking on them, then half battle is won. Joe Root arguably one of the best Test batters, will be responsible for taking the batting baton forward. With the likes of Ollie Pope, Zak Crawley, and the captain himself, England will look to pile runs on flat decks if offered.
And last but not least, James Anderson who is probably on his last India tour will look to finish on top. The longest-serving servant of England in Test Cricket, James has an unfinished business here in India. He hasn’t tasted much of a success with his bowling. This will most likely be his last chance to make his mark in India and end his Test career on a high note. James Anderson who was part of the famous 2012 series win knows what it takes to beat India in their den in Tests.
1. Spin Quartet
England Team. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Very few would have thought that ‘spin quartet’ could be used to describe the bowling attack of a non-subcontinent Test nation playing in the form of England. A country thrives on seamers generation after generation who are all set to hunt their final frontier with four spinners. Jack Leach, Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed, and Shoaib Bashir were picked to represent England in the five-match Test series.
Teams coming down to India play Test cricket and invest heavily in spinners. But this time, England seemed to be more determined to conquer. Jack Leach, a slow left-arm orthodox who’ll be on his second India tour would be leading the pack. He took 18 wickets in four Tests last time when England toured India in 2021. He will be accompanied by leggie Rehan Ahmed, who debuted at Karachi with a seven-wicket haul.
They will be joined by off-spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Shoaib’s inclusion is the most surprising one, he made his Somerset debut just six months back. England coming with all round spin attack will throw a challenge to Indian batters. If they get some assistance off the deck, batters may find themselves struggling against rookie spinners as well.