India tour of England 2018

[asprin]

Moin's exclusion is surprising especially considering his batting abilities and his success while bowling against India.

 

[Ahmad94]

Moin's exclusion is surprising especially considering his batting abilities and his success while bowling against India.

I have a strong feeling that it's simply part of the rotational policy that England have at the moment.

 

[zimrahil]

I have a strong feeling that it's simply part of the rotational policy that England have at the moment.

Would have loved moeen to play in England’s 1000th test in Birmingham (where he comes from). He would have destroyed India’s batting line up for sure




***runs off to hide***

 

[aditya123]

I do not want to see Dhawan opening tomorrow. Pujara's form is also a huge worry. Murli Vijay looked alright in the Afghanistan test match and the practice game but he needs to be at his best for this series. Kohli is already under huge pressure because of his poor last test series in England. So Indian top order is definitely a worry.

The openers and Pujara must set the platform for Kohli and the middle order to push India toward a total of at least 400. I do believe that Rahul has the game to counter attack England seamers and Vijay has to do what he did best when we toured England last time. He left a lot of deliveries and keep his end solid. Pujara's form as I mentioned is a big worry since he hasn't scored any runs in County games that he played and just looked all tangled up in his technique. However, he has played in England quite a lot and I am really hoping that he can turn it around in this series. If the top 3 does their job, you will see a completely different Kohli coming in at number 4. The pressure will still be on him to perform but he is mentally strong enough to overcome that. However, he needs help from his teammates to win the series.

Even though missing Bhuvi is a big blow, I still feel we have a pretty good bowling attack to challenge England. As we saw in South Africa, our bowlers did a very good job but it was the batsmen apart from Kohli who didn't turn up. Ishant Sharma had a good little stint with Sussex and he did bowl pretty well. Umesh Yadav has been amazing for India in our home season and was unlucky to not play a single test in South Africa when the conditions were finally helpful for him. Shami is one who is under pressure coming in the final 11. He has had personal problems and his fitness hasn't been at the best. However, when he is in rhythm, he is one of the most skillful bowlers that we have. However, he needs to keep his consistency up all the time.

For spinner, I think we must trust Ashwin to do the job and I think choosing him as the sole spinner will give him confidence. He is pretty handy with the bat as well so that's always a benefit.

For the all-rounder spot, I do feel Hardik is the right choice over Jadeja. They both have been pretty inconsistent with the bat. However, I feel that Hardik provides that extra spark or that X-factor which this Indian team needs.

Also, look out for Dinesh Karthik. He scored highest runs for India when we won the series in England back in 2007. He has always had the technique to succeed in any conditions but now he has the temperament to help him build his inning. His keeping is definitely not at Saha's standard but he has to make that up with his batting.

Lastly, I always say this whenever India tours overseas but it is such a crucial factor. Our catching and especially slip catching has to be spot on if we want to win the series. We have tried various combinations in the slip and that hasn't helped at all. We need to have set fielders for slip catching and back them to perform that role. Hopefully it's different this time around.

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane
Karthik
Ashwin
Hardik
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

Edit: I feel this will be Ishant Sharma's series from India's perspective. I can't really believe I am saying this but he has looked very good in the last few matches that I have seen him bowl and I am really hoping he can turn around his career from this series.

That would be my side but I will go with Kuldeep ahead of Pandya. Pandya is too much of a lottery to be a test cricketer. Kuldeep will be very very handy against the tail which has been our Achilles heel traditionally. Dhawan has no business being in an overseas test side. Vijay and Rahul needs to play the whole series and must be told that right at the start. Pujara needs to fire in the first test to ease our nerves. Lets not forget that Anderson and Broad are going into this series with very little cricket behind them. It could work either way. For all talk of a good seam attack, we have Umesh and Shami who can blow real hot and cold. I agree that Ishant has shown signs of improving and lets hope he continues that. Umesh has looked really good right through and its time it finally gets rewarded. I`m worried Umesh would be the first to get dropped for someone like Bumrah when he returns which is sad. He must get 2 tests at the very least to find the rhythm.

After a long time, the excitement of a new test series! Whites and the English greens. Bring it on. Also, I feel all this talk of early momentum is nonsense. Its a 5 test series and things can change drastically come late August. Remember what happened in 2014. We were 1-0 up going into Southampton for the 3rd test and went into an irretrievable slide from there on.

 

[Ahmad94]

Would have loved moeen to play in England’s 1000th test in Birmingham (where he comes from). He would have destroyed India’s batting line up for sure




***runs off to hide***

I'll quote you on that when he plays at Lord's in the second Test!!

 

[zimrahil]

I'll quote you on that when he plays at Lord's in the second Test!!

Ermmmm.....looking forward to it?

 

[bumrahguy]

That would be my side but I will go with Kuldeep ahead of Pandya. Pandya is too much of a lottery to be a test cricketer. Kuldeep will be very very handy against the tail which has been our Achilles heel traditionally. Dhawan has no business being in an overseas test side. Vijay and Rahul needs to play the whole series and must be told that right at the start. Pujara needs to fire in the first test to ease our nerves. Lets not forget that Anderson and Broad are going into this series with very little cricket behind them. It could work either way. For all talk of a good seam attack, we have Umesh and Shami who can blow real hot and cold. I agree that Ishant has shown signs of improving and lets hope he continues that. Umesh has looked really good right through and its time it finally gets rewarded. I`m worried Umesh would be the first to get dropped for someone like Bumrah when he returns which is sad. He must get 2 tests at the very least to find the rhythm.

After a long time, the excitement of a new test series! Whites and the English greens. Bring it on. Also, I feel all this talk of early momentum is nonsense. Its a 5 test series and things can change drastically come late August. Remember what happened in 2014. We were 1-0 up going into Southampton for the 3rd test and went into an irretrievable slide from there on.

Hot and cold is rather generous for an unskilled bowler like Umesh who averages merely 35. If he fails in the first test, he must be dropped no matter what. Let bumrah come in.

Also, Umesh is a lottery just like Pandya.

 

[Aalay]

That would be my side but I will go with Kuldeep ahead of Pandya. Pandya is too much of a lottery to be a test cricketer. Kuldeep will be very very handy against the tail which has been our Achilles heel traditionally. Dhawan has no business being in an overseas test side. Vijay and Rahul needs to play the whole series and must be told that right at the start. Pujara needs to fire in the first test to ease our nerves. Lets not forget that Anderson and Broad are going into this series with very little cricket behind them. It could work either way. For all talk of a good seam attack, we have Umesh and Shami who can blow real hot and cold. I agree that Ishant has shown signs of improving and lets hope he continues that. Umesh has looked really good right through and its time it finally gets rewarded. I`m worried Umesh would be the first to get dropped for someone like Bumrah when he returns which is sad. He must get 2 tests at the very least to find the rhythm.

After a long time, the excitement of a new test series! Whites and the English greens. Bring it on. Also, I feel all this talk of early momentum is nonsense. Its a 5 test series and things can change drastically come late August. Remember what happened in 2014. We were 1-0 up going into Southampton for the 3rd test and went into an irretrievable slide from there on.

Good to hear from you. I guess now that I read this, I don't really mind seeing Kuldeep in the side. I definitely agree that he can help remove the tail where India has struggled in the past. I am really worried about Pujara because I think this will be kind of like "make or break" series for him. I definitely don't see him playing all 5 tests if he struggles for runs in the first 2 tests. I agree about Shami and Umesh but one thing you will get with Umesh is 100% effort. Even if he is haing a bad day, he will still bend his back and will give his all whenever he is given a chance. However, I can't say the same about Shami. Sometimes in that South Africa series, i felt like he just gave up and was going through the motion. Suddenly, he would pick up out of nowhere and get you 3 wickets in a spell. So that is one thing that will always come with Shami. He is pretty inconsistent in that manner.

There has been a lot of build up so I am just happy to see cricket starts from tomorrow. Let's be a little more optimistic this time my friend.

 

[Ashutosh.]

My Lineup for today's match:

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Virat
Rahane
Karthik
Ashwin
Pandya
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

 

[Bhumi]

http://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-commentary/18883/eng-vs-ind-1st-test-india-tour-of-england-2018

Credit to cricbuzz for reviews


Eng vs Ind, Birmingham
Starts at 03:30 PM IST (10:00 GMT), Aug 01

Preview

"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.

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.

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.

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

Teams:

England (From): Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Joe Root(c), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow(w), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Moeen Ali, James Porter

India (From): Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik(w), Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur

 

[Velocity]

I don't understand why there is so much doubt around Shami and the apparent fact that he's overrated. Even if he looks like he's put on weight and isn't looking right while he's bowling, he is still a valuable asset to the Test team and particularly this tour as well. He took a five-for in his last outing. He was excellent in the series in South Africa being the joint-highest wicket taker taking 15 wickets in 3 matches @ 17.06.

There is plenty of hype surrounding Umesh and it's understandable. His form saw a massive spike in the last few months, and he has raw pace which can trouble the England batting lineup. He's a wicket taker, but there's some truth to what @bumrahguy said about him despite his over exaggeration of Bumrah and bashing of Umesh. Umesh leaks A LOT of runs whilst picking up wickets. And when he has a bad day it's disastrous for the team and there is a ton of reliance on Ishant.

Nevertheless, my point is that Shami HAS to play. He needs to fill in the role of Bhuvi as only he and Ishant have played in England before. And the fact that people are rating Umesh above Shami on this particular tour is baffling. Shami is a lot better than Umesh, only thing is Umesh has extra yards of pace and can hit the deck hard. Personally, I'd play Shami over Umesh any day depending on the pitch. He needs to play to cover either Umesh or Ishant if they have a bad day. Hardik Pandya cannot fill in that role, and the best man for that is Shami.

 

[Velocity]

Line-up for tomorrow: England: 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Joe Root (capt), 4 Dawid Malan, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Sam Curran, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.

A little weak in my opinion.

Keaton Jennings doesn't provide me with any promise. Malan is also a little inexperienced and hasn't done anything noteworthy.

Not sure about Sam Curran as the third seamer. He doesn't have the experience and I feel India may target him. Plus, big things to prove for Rashid with him getting the nod over Moeen Ali.

I don't there's anything seriously wrong playing Sam Curran. India have long been struggling against left arm seamers (most notably Amir), regardless of the format. And not to mention there's Ben Stokes who is potent enough to cover to be play the role of the third bowler.

Jennings has much to prove, and I feel like Malan is batting a position too high. He's still experienced but I don't think #4 is ideal. Bairstow should bat 4 and Malan @ #5.

The big two players India have to watch out for in this lineup is Cook and Root. Root is riding high after his successes in the LO's and Cook played a good innings of 180 against a decent India A attack. I predict that these two will make the bulk of England's runs.

 

[asprin]

I have a strong feeling that it's simply part of the rotational policy that England have at the moment.

Could very well might be. But still I feel it's a mistake on England's part.

 

[Bhumi]

My Lineup for today's match:

Rahul
Vijay
Pujara
Virat
Rahane
Karthik
Ashwin
Pandya
Shami
Ishant
Umesh

English team

Cook
Jennings
Root
Malan
Barstow
Stokes
Buttler
Broad
S.Curran
Rashid
Anderson

 

[Bhumi]

England used 47000 gallon water for 36 minutes so ball not spin because if ball take
Spin on day 4 or later they might
Disturb vs 2 indian spinner

They invited 3 wrist spinner from County cricket who are also left-arm
And did practice

Akhil Patel
Blackwell
Wisneswisky

Were 3 spinner