"Don't carry any sandpaper, guys," was the generous advice of one of the ground staff at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground. England might take special delight from Australia's spiralling misery, but there is still a lingering doubt how this England side might fare against the current world toppers - India. "You think India will win? It's going to be a tough series," he added. And it might well be, looking at both sides, at least on paper. But such promises for exhilarating cricket between these two sides have fallen on deaf years. In the last two series the two teams played against each other, the results were 3-1 and 4-0 in favour of the hosts. 1 / 5
That might just be the difference between the two sides - the conditions. But here's the twist. England is in the middle of a heatwave, something that was summed up by Ajinkya Rahane, who said their practice game at Chelmsford was almost like playing in Mumbai or Chennai. That would mean conditions in England could be somewhat similar to what you'd get in India. In Birmingham though, there was a brief spell of rain a couple of days before the Test, a welcome break from the heatwave that coincides with the duration of this match. England will hope conditions return to normalcy but if it doesn't though, India could well pull out the mattresses and come out to sleep on these tracks. That the series will not be a walkover has already been underlined by England. Alastair Cook talked up India's pace bowlers, and England, perhaps swayed by Rashid knocking over Kohli's stumps in the limited-overs leg, brought him into Tests despite him not having a red-ball contract. Not long after, they announced Jos Buttler, two Tests since his own return to the Test squad despite not having a red-ball contract, as their vice-captain for the series, with a view on long term benefits. India, of course, have their own worries. Shikhar Dhawan's practice match lasted all of 4 balls, while Pujara, despite his County stint, struggled in the nets. They have lost their best bowler in these conditions, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and another strong backup in Jasprit Bumrah. The pitch wears a slightly dry look, but England's decision to pick Sam Curran over Jamie Porter perhaps indicates that swing bowlers will be key. Key also will be how India's batsmen have adapted to English conditions. Pujara and Ishant had already travelled to England to play County cricket, and four from the current Test squad played the India A game as well, before the practice match against Essex. But the England squad offers challenges at a whole new level. Alastair Cook already served up a notice with a 180 against India A, as did Dawid Malan and Sam Curran. India must make sure that they start well, and then keep it going from there. They would have learnt from the last time they toured here that just a good start will mean next to nothing if they fail to keep the momentum going. They will also know that England have had a far from impressive year in Tests, just managing to shrug off a eight-test winless streak, and some solid performances could land them serious pressure again. 2 / 5
England, on the other hand, will lean back on how reliable they are at home. The last time they lost a series at home was back in 2014 to Sri Lanka. They will also know that India have only one draw and one win in 10 games in England. It would probably only take one big Test to make India relive those nightmares again. Who's your money on? When: England vs India, 1st Test, 11 AM Local time, 3:30 PM IST. Where: Edgbaston, Birmingham What to expect: The pitch has a brown, hard look to it and if the sun beats down, it should be good for batting. Weather forecasts, however, point at more cloud cover, which could just prompt the teams into playing a lone spinner. Team News England: England announced their starting XI a day before the Test, giving Sam Curran a cap ahead of Jamie Porter. Moeen Ali, too, doesn't find a slot, with the selectors going for Rashid. Playing XI: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Stuart Broad, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, James Anderson. India: A few questions linger over India's team selection. Dhawan, Pujara and Rahul all batted in the nets, but it looks as if Rahul would get the nod ahead of the left-hander to open alongside Murali Vijay. Shami should be up alongside Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, with Ashwin as the lone spinner. 3 / 5
Probable XI: KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav. Did you know - At no other venue have Asian teams played more Tests without registering a single win than the 16 they have played in Edgabston. India have lost five of the six matches they have played at this venue. - Adil Rashid will be playing his first Test in England. All his first ten Tests were played in the sub-continent - three in the UAE, two in Bangladesh and five in India. Rashid picked a four-wicket haul in four of the five Tests he played in India in 2016. - Joe Root has scored a fifty in each of the 11 Tests he has played against India. No other player has hit fifty-plus scores in more consecutive Tests against a single opponent than Root's 11 against India. What they said "Back in the day when I did not know better, these things used to bother me because I used to read a lot. But honestly - and I'm not saying this because I'm sitting here in front of all of you - I genuinely don't read anything. I have no idea what's going on. After the first two Tests in South Africa, I had no idea what was going on. My only focus was on my preparation and where the team has to head. If I waste my energy on all these things, I'm compromising on my mindset." -- Virat Kohli keeps his focus despite growing pressure on him to deliver in England "I've known Adil from being a really young lad at Yorkshire. He's been around the first team since I joined the academy. He's very talented; he always has been. I think over the last couple of years, with experience, he has grown as a player massively. He's developed his game in a way that he has a better understanding of what he's trying to do and how he's trying to work batters out. He's got high skill levels which I think are very transferable into Test cricket." -- Joe Root backs his spinner after his contentious selection 4 / 5
Cricbuzz {jcomments on} 5 / 5