Predict the outcome of the 5-match Test series between England and India

[MenInG]

So the big one.

England and India both in need of Test wins to boost their morale!

But which side will emerge as victorious?

 

[gazza619]

India with full strength can really challenge England and can win at least 2 out of 5 tests.

I guess it also depends on the weather. A hot and dry summer would really suit Indian bowlers.

 

[guna]

3-0 to England.
1 will be a draw due to rain. Other will be a draw due to some good resistance from Indian batsmen. They are bound to click in one test match in a 5 match series.

India will never win with a middle order of Kohli, Rahane and Pujara. Not to forget the opening pair of Shaw and Rohit in English conditions.

The less said about Indian tailenders, the better. Shami, Bumrah, Ishant cannot bat. They will be lucky to put 10 runs between them.

A lot of things need to click for India to stay competitive in the series.

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

India to win 3-1

 

[guna]

India with full strength can really challenge England and can win at least 2 out of 5 tests.

I guess it also depends on the weather. A hot and dry summer would really suit Indian bowlers.

India is at full strength this time. Only Gill is missing from the first choice team.

India needs to make bold decisions and drop Pujara and Rahane. These 2 have been getting a free ride for too long now.

 

[Saurav]

4-1 England

 

[Last Monetarist]

Going for a 3-1 win to India. A couple of months practicing in England must have given the Indian team more than enough chance to acclimatize to conditions. They are the better side on paper so should win, short of an Anderson and Broad masterclass.

 

[gazza619]

Going for a 3-1 win to India. A couple of months practicing in England must have given the Indian team more than enough chance to acclimatize to conditions. They are the better side on paper so should win, short of an Anderson and Broad masterclass.

India seem to struggle more against Mo Ali. Not sure though if he will be in the England playing XI.

 

[Yasir_ch]

4-1 or 4-0 to england.
India stand no chance.

 

[street cricketer]

3-1 England

 

[Mahee]

5-0 England

 

[Ashmal]

Ind should win...best chance for them.

ENG test batting line-up is alot weaker than last time and with Woakes and Archer being unfit, even their bowling is not as strong.

While India have been in Eng for almost 2 months now...and almost everyone is fully fit and available to play.

 

[BreadPakoda]

India will struggle to win a single game. Most of the batsmen have proven dud records in England. Expect low scores, especially when the team is under pressure (third/fourth innings).

Something like this on the best days
India 250
England 255 (after England is 120/6 or 180/8)
India 110
England wins by 8-9 wickets

On bad days
India 180
England 400
India 95
England wins by innings+

India will also lose all tosses.

 

[bantu]

4-1 England ..

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

4-1 England

Why? India is going to field a full strength team. We have Rohit, Kohli, Pujara, Rahul, Pant, Siraj, Bumrah, Shami, Jaddu, Ashwin, Ishant. Why can't we beat England in England?

 

[Mahee]

the current Indian batting lineup do not have skill to score runs in English and NZ conditions.

 

[shamaan]

2-2

 

[King_Kohli]

4-0 to England.
Expecting one draw due to heavy rains.

 

[guna]

Why? India is going to field a full strength team. We have Rohit, Kohli, Pujara, Rahul, Pant, Siraj, Bumrah, Shami, Jaddu, Ashwin, Ishant. Why can't we beat England in England?

Pujara, Rahane will play and score nothing.

 

[Mesozoic]

5-0 India

England don't know what's gonna hit them.

 

[Manunited18]

3-1 To Mighty Mighty England.

 

[King_Kohli]

5-0 India

England don't know what's gonna hit them.

What going to hit them?

 

[Double Trouble]

3-1 to India

Englands weak batting line up will be exposed.

 

[Titan24]

This is the best chance for India in recent times to win a series in Eng. India has two pacers in Shami and Ishant along with two spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja at their peak. While Eng's test batting lineup is probably at its weakest in the last decade or so with just one batsman in the entire lineup with an average over 40.

I think the series will be defined by Ind's bowling vs Eng's batting.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

India are the box office test team. Every test series they play is fun, especially SENA tours.

Likes of Rohit, VK, Pant and Shami are fun to watch. Hopefully no one gets injured / covid during the whole tour.

Let's go England. Deliver them a 0-5 phainta!

 

[Mesozoic]

This is the best chance for India in recent times to win a series in Eng. India has two pacers in Shami and Ishant along with two spinners in Ashwin and Jadeja at their peak. While Eng's test batting lineup is probably at its weakest in the last decade or so with just one batsman in the entire lineup with an average over 40.

I think the series will be defined by Ind's bowling vs Eng's batting.

Ishant and Shami are way past their peaks. They were at their best in 2018-19. I know Shami bowled well in the WTC final, but he has been average since the home series against South Africa in 2019. And Ishant is looking more and more toothless each passing game. I'd pick both Siraj and Umesh ahead of Ishant.

 

[Saurav]

Why? India is going to field a full strength team. We have Rohit, Kohli, Pujara, Rahul, Pant, Siraj, Bumrah, Shami, Jaddu, Ashwin, Ishant. Why can't we beat England in England?

no hopes from Rahane,Pujara.Have been bad for long time now.Kohli might step it up.

The batting will decide this.We have the bowling

 

[Ab Fan]

India will win 3-2.

1st Test:- England to win by an innings and some more runs.

Player of match - James Anderson


Before 2nd test, 3-4 changes to the Indian test side.

2nd Test:- India to win.

Player of match - KL Rahul

* Rahul to hit a 100 in comeback test.


3rd Test:- England win.

Player of match - Zak Crawley



4th match :- India to win.

Player of match - Ravichandran Ashwin



5th match :- India to win.

Player of match - Virat Kohli

Player of series - KL Rahul

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

The fundamental issue is

WHO THE HELL WILL SCORE RUNS FOR US?

Put runs on the board and India will win the series.

But who will score the damn runs lol.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I think we gotta do what we did in Aus.

Forget about a batsman having a bumper series.

Focus on mini battles.

Every batsman fights tooth and nail to contribute whatever he can.

Guerilla warfare as opposed to taking over the opponent in one fell swoop.

If someone manages a bumper series, thats great but we cant rely on it.

 

[ahmedzee]

India will win 4-1 ...their team is very strong.

 

[UzmanBeast]

The fundamental issue is

WHO THE HELL WILL SCORE RUNS FOR US?

Put runs on the board and India will win the series.

But who will score the damn runs lol.

It's a bigger issue than that.

Runs are the bigger issue, yes, but one good partnership can change the game.

Fundamentally, India is in a very poor situation because neither of their tailenders can bat to save their own lives, they are liabilities. You need to have competent tailenders because those crucial partnerships, those crucial 40-50 runs can make a great difference.

Personally, I think that Rohit Sharma is not cut for test cricket. His technique against the moving ball is poor, and he is unable to capitalize on the starts he gets in overseas tours. Against Broad and Anderson, I can easily see India being a wicket down within the first 5 overs. However, his performances in the recent India vs England test series will keep him in that opening slot.

Prithvi would be a horrible choice as an opener, the gap between his bat and pad is enormous. His poor foot movement, coupled with his natural instinct to attack every ball, means that Anderson would literally destroy him within a few balls.

Pujara has been riding the boat without any performances in the last few series, and I doubt England will be the place he steps up.

India's top 3, right now, looks incredibly shaky, and it is not a good sign going into a major test series.

Having a vulnerable top order, coupled with the fact that you don't get runs down the order, means only one thing: the key to this series lies in the form of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. If they perform, India might drag themselves to some formidable totals, but if they don't, major collapses will occur. I also think Jadeja's batting will play a role.

I can easily predict that England would win if India doesn't hit the ground running, but I do think that India can still challenge England if their squad selection is good.

I would play the following team:

Rohit Sharma (you have to hope that he can hit a few 50+ scores and carry on once he gets set)
Mayank Agarwal
KL Rahul
Virat Kohli
Ajinkya Rahane
Hanuma Vihari
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur/Ravichandran Ashwin
Ishant Sharma
Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Siraj/Jasprit Bumrah

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

It's a bigger issue than that.

Runs are the bigger issue, yes, but one good partnership can change the game.

Fundamentally, India is in a very poor situation because neither of their tailenders can bat to save their own lives, they are liabilities. You need to have competent tailenders because those crucial partnerships, those crucial 40-50 runs can make a great difference.

Personally, I think that Rohit Sharma is not cut for test cricket. His technique against the moving ball is poor, and he is unable to capitalize on the starts he gets in overseas tours. Against Broad and Anderson, I can easily see India being a wicket down within the first 5 overs. However, his performances in the recent India vs England test series will keep him in that opening slot.

Prithvi would be a horrible choice as an opener, the gap between his bat and pad is enormous. His poor foot movement, coupled with his natural instinct to attack every ball, means that Anderson would literally destroy him within a few balls.

Pujara has been riding the boat without any performances in the last few series, and I doubt England will be the place he steps up.

India's top 3, right now, looks incredibly shaky, and it is not a good sign going into a major test series.

Having a vulnerable top order, coupled with the fact that you don't get runs down the order, means only one thing: the key to this series lies in the form of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. If they perform, India might drag themselves to some formidable totals, but if they don't, major collapses will occur. I also think Jadeja's batting will play a role.

I can easily predict that England would win if India doesn't hit the ground running, but I do think that India can still challenge England if their squad selection is good.

I would play the following team:

Rohit Sharma (you have to hope that he can hit a few 50+ scores and carry on once he gets set)
Mayank Agarwal
KL Rahul
Virat Kohli
Ajinkya Rahane
Hanuma Vihari
Ravindra Jadeja
Shardul Thakur/Ravichandran Ashwin
Ishant Sharma
Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Siraj/Jasprit Bumrah

You are absolutely right.

All hopes aside...looking at the team in a dispassionate manner.....India is in a very very bad position.

Unreliable openers
Floundering middle order
Decent lower order
No tail

And on top of that, youngsters (Aus heroes) are out injured.

Gill
Washington

----

I would play this XI:

Rohit (for now - Mayank used to be good)
Pujara (blunt the new ball - looks clueless against spin)
KL
Kohli
Rahane/Vihari/SKY
Pant
Jaddu
Ashwin
Shardul
Siraj
Shami

Thoughts

1. Ishant sharma 2.0 was good. He is mostly toothless these days whose stats flatter to deceive.

2. Bumrah has been horrible recently.

3. This lineup gives us batting till 9.

4. If any pacers flop, we can readjust the approach. If Shardul flops, Ishant can come in.

5. Same goes for batsman.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Shaw for Rohit if the latter flops.

Shaw is a bit of a lottery at this stage but man if he clicks, he will win you a game on his own.

Rohit on the other hand will struggle to cross 50 though he probably wouldnt get out to single digit scores as often as Shaw.

We gotta keep all options flexible.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Not sure about how Abhimanyu Eashwaran plays.

Maybe he might surprise us.

Batsman coming from domestic usually have decent techniques before they get corrupted in the international arena & IPL.

Case in point...

KL Rahul
Mayank

 

[UzmanBeast]

You are absolutely right.

All hopes aside...looking at the team in a dispassionate manner.....India is in a very very bad position.

Unreliable openers
Floundering middle order
Decent lower order
No tail

And on top of that, youngsters (Aus heroes) are out injured.

Gill
Washington

----

I would play this XI:

Rohit (for now - Mayank used to be good)
Pujara (blunt the new ball - looks clueless against spin)
KL
Kohli
Rahane/Vihari/SKY
Pant
Jaddu
Ashwin
Shardul
Siraj
Shami

Thoughts

1. Ishant sharma 2.0 was good. He is mostly toothless these days whose stats flatter to deceive.

2. Bumrah has been horrible recently.

3. This lineup gives us batting till 9.

4. If any pacers flop, we can readjust the approach. If Shardul flops, Ishant can come in.

5. Same goes for batsman.

India's lower order will need to fight with the tail, as Rizwan has often done for Pakistan in England, and also in New Zealand.

It will be difficult with Anderson and Broad, but one thing India should be happy about is England's rest and rotation policy.

With the upcoming Ashes, they will treat their main assets very carefully, so Anderson and Broad might alternate, or they might play every alternate game.

Dom Bess and Jack Leach should get hammered when they come out to bowl, especially Bess who bowls more full tosses than deliveries that actually land on the pitch.

It takes one good opening partnership to bring the game in your favor, especially in SENA. If India's openers can give them 50+ partnerships, it will help a lot.

However, it's about time Kohli picks up the bat like he's done throughout his career. This is an important series, and a difficult series. His team will need him to perform like he's done on many occasions. His lean patch has gone on for far too long for a player of his class.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

India's lower order will need to fight with the tail, as Rizwan has often done for Pakistan in England, and also in New Zealand.

It will be difficult with Anderson and Broad, but one thing India should be happy about is England's rest and rotation policy.

With the upcoming Ashes, they will treat their main assets very carefully, so Anderson and Broad might alternate, or they might play every alternate game.

Dom Bess and Jack Leach should get hammered when they come out to bowl, especially Bess who bowls more full tosses than deliveries that actually land on the pitch.

It takes one good opening partnership to bring the game in your favor, especially in SENA. If India's openers can give them 50+ partnerships, it will help a lot.

However, it's about time Kohli picks up the bat like he's done throughout his career. This is an important series, and a difficult series. His team will need him to perform like he's done on many occasions. His lean patch has gone on for far too long for a player of his class.

One area where Pakistan have been wayyyy better than India is playing spinners in SENA.

I dont have the stats but they have done well against them. Especially in England.

The LAST thing Indian batsmen should do is go after Eng spinners.

We have lost many a series doing that.

Except Pant no one can reliable hammer spinners. Maybe KL now.

Key is to play them off normally and stitch good scores.

I dont want a Leach or Bess 5fer and India losing the game.

Its just too painful lol.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

SKY is amazing against spinners but have to see if he is good enough against test pacers.

 

[UzmanBeast]

One area where Pakistan have been wayyyy better than India is playing spinners in SENA.

I dont have the stats but they have done well against them. Especially in England.

The LAST thing Indian batsmen should do is go after Eng spinners.

We have lost many a series doing that.

Except Pant no one can reliable hammer spinners. Maybe KL now.

Key is to play them off normally and stitch good scores.

I dont want a Leach or Bess 5fer and India losing the game.

Its just too painful lol.

I doubt India will succumb to spinners like Bess.

I would still say that it is better to bash the spinners around so that they don't settle. Once a spinner settles, and you have guys like Broad and Anderson, England will start strangling you from all ends and stop the flow of runs.

Targetting Anderson is a big mistake, and so is doing the same with Broad.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I doubt India will succumb to spinners like Bess.

I would still say that it is better to bash the spinners around so that they don't settle. Once a spinner settles, and you have guys like Broad and Anderson, England will start strangling you from all ends and stop the flow of runs.

Targetting Anderson is a big mistake, and so is doing the same with Broad.

We dont need to target anyone mate.

Bad balls yes.

Or else play normally.

Everyone thought we wont succumb to Moeen Ali.

And then we lost 2 series to him.

 

[Titan24]

Ishant and Shami are way past their peaks. They were at their best in 2018-19. I know Shami bowled well in the WTC final, but he has been average since the home series against South Africa in 2019. And Ishant is looking more and more toothless each passing game. I'd pick both Siraj and Umesh ahead of Ishant.

Siraj was impressive in Aus and naturally bowls fuller length which can be handy in Eng so can be a good starter or can come in if any of the main 3 seamers dont do well. However, it would be a big call to play him over Ishant at the very start considering Ishant has played a big role in Indian test team success in last 3-4 years. Umesh has always been inconsistent so it will be a gamble to go with him in Eng.

Shami will be a sure starter and will play all of the matches unless he balls really poorly in the first two tests or faces some fitness issues. He just played 3 tests in 2020 and yes was hot and cold in those but, again on such tours you tend to rely upon the bowlers who have provided the success over the years in different conditions.

 

[pratiktc]

Indian bowlers will do very well as usual and batsmen will be average but better than Eng batsmen.

Difference will always be tailenders 8-11 runs where Eng's bowling all-rounders and bowlers will contribute 50-60 runs to India's 5-10 runs

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

3 - 2 India.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Indian bowlers will do very well as usual and batsmen will be average but better than Eng batsmen.

Difference will always be tailenders 8-11 runs where Eng's bowling all-rounders and bowlers will contribute 50-60 runs to India's 5-10 runs

I doubt India's batsmen will be better in England compared to England's batsmen.

 

[gani999]

I'll be happy if India can win a game or two. Our batting besides Kohli and Pant will under perform. Pujara, Rohit and Shaw will be worthless in England, Rahane and Rahul will be hit or miss, and the others like Vihari won't impress either. Maybe SKY can come good if he manages to get a game.

The bowling is marginally better with Bumrah, Ishant and the young Siraj. Besides, if the weather is hot, Ashwin and Jadeja can pick up some wickets in addition to contributing the bat too.

In all, I have more faith in the bowling attack being able to pick up 20 wickets in each game than I do in the famed Indian batting lineup. So I'll be happy if India can win a game or two, and give England a tough fight in the other three.

 

[Rajdeep]

Rajdeep's prediction:

1st Test Nottingham - India to scrape a win somehow on 5th day against all odds.

2nd Test Lords - A charged up England beats overconfident India within 3 days in a one way battle.

Post 2nd test...media scrutiny and severe criticism of India's poor performance.

India decides to drop dead ducks like Pujara & Rahane for 3 test.

3rd Test Leeds - India puts up a spirited performance and beats England

4th Test Oval - Heatwave and India beats England on the back of some terrific spin bowling. England complains about the spinning track as if they were playing in India.

Root fumes after the losing the series and asks curator to lay out a green mamba for the 5th test.

5th Test Manchester - Eng wins the toss and asks India to bat first. India gets all out cheaply in 1st innings and then Manchester weather plays its part. It rains relentlessly for 3 days resulting in washout.

Overall Result - India wins the series 3 - 1

 

[Bhaijaan]

Indians are at their deadliest when they feel humiliated and the losses to NZ and Sri Lanka have humiliated Indian cricket.

I expect Indians to now to destroy England.

I believe in them because i am also an Indian and can feel their feelings.

 

[OMB]

Indians are at their deadliest when they feel humiliated and the losses to NZ and Sri Lanka have humiliated Indian cricket.

I expect Indians to now to destroy England.

I believe in them because i am also an Indian and can feel their feelings.

Deadliest on english tracks are english batsmen. I fear ours are suicidal against the moving ball.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Indians are at their deadliest when they feel humiliated and the losses to NZ and Sri Lanka have humiliated Indian cricket.

I expect Indians to now to destroy England.

I believe in them because i am also an Indian and can feel their feelings.

I think India should aim not just to beat but to humiliate England this summer.
What do ya think?

 

[shortbread]

So the big one.

England and India both in need of Test wins to boost their morale!

But which side will emerge as victorious?

England will lose the first test, always do. Everything will go cock-a-hoop and the earth will stop on it's axis and take a moment to praise India.

Then England will win all the remaining games as long as weather does not play spoilsport.

4-1 England beat India at home again.

Likely events:
- Sibly dropped after two games and Hameed returns to the England squad.
- Indian apinners to shine in game 1
- Buttler/Stokes get the green signal and take Indian spinners to the cleaners from game two onwards.
- Kohli to be rested in a couple of games
- Ollie Robinson to be highest wicket taker
- Broad to be rested in a couple of games. Becomes angry and wrecks havoc on the opponents the following game
- Rains/light/delays/lost time...... umpires will regularly make nonsensical decisions.

 

[Ab Fan]

3 - 2 India.

With the summary being the one I posted yesterday

 

[gani999]

I think India should aim not just to beat but to humiliate England this summer.
What do ya think?

What we need is to plan our strategy, play and win well, like what we did in Australia.

No need for any theatrics or drama. Just professionalism, plan and hard work.

 

[MenInG]

Ben Stokes withdraws from England Men's Test Squad

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can confirm that England Men's all-rounder Ben Stokes will take an indefinite break from all cricket with immediate effect.

Stokes has withdrawn from England's Test squad ahead of the LV= Insurance Test series against India starting next week to prioritise his mental wellbeing and to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month.

The ECB fully supports Ben's decision, and we will continue to help him during this period away from the game.

Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Ashley Giles, said:

"Ben has shown tremendous courage to open up about his feelings and wellbeing.

"Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be the mental health and welfare of all of our people. The demands on our athletes to prepare and play elite sport are relentless in a typical environment, but the ongoing pandemic has acutely compounded this.

"Spending significant amounts of time away from family, with minimal freedoms, is extremely challenging. The cumulative effect of operating almost continuously in these environments over the last 16 months has had a major impact on everyone's wellbeing."

"Ben will be given as long as he needs, and we look forward to seeing him playing cricket for England in the future."

Stokes will be replaced in the squad by Somerset's Craig Overton.

We request that privacy is given to Ben and his family during this time.

 

[Rajdeep]

Stokes really looked disinterested even in that Pak series as if someone dragged him from bed and forced him to play. Hope he recovers from this mental fatigue and come back strong for T20 world cup.

 

[King_Kohli]

^Hope he will be feel better soon.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Big blow to England. No excuse for India now. Have to beat England B side this time.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

The script writers in this thread...

)

Would love it if you guys got it right...but not a single one of you will be right.

Talking about the way the games will be played.....not the scorecard.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

India's next big superstar Shubman gill is injured so this is a big blow looks like this will be India B vs England B .

 

[IAJ]

Conditions in August should suit India. Had it been in May/June with fresh pitches, England, allthough with one of their worst batting line-up in recent times, would be favourites.

 

[Ashmal]

So no Ben Stokes.....Eng's weakest batting line-up in a long time faces a big challenge.

India firm favs to win, no excuses for not winning this time.

 

[Last Monetarist]

The absence of Stokes makes India clear favourites to win the series now. There should be no excuse from Shastri and Kohli this time around even if the latter loses five tosses in a row.

 

[Ab Fan]

Stokes' absence helps for sure but this series will probably decide where does the current generation Indian team stands among the greatest test teams of all-time.

A test series win in England alongside Australia will be a huge achievement for an Asian side.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

The absence of Stokes makes India clear favourites to win the series now. There should be no excuse from Shastri and Kohli this time around even if the latter loses five tosses in a row.

And we have been in England for more than a month now. This is the best chance to win a 5 match series in England.

 

[Rajdeep]

The absence of Stokes makes India clear favourites to win the series now. There should be no excuse from Shastri and Kohli this time around even if the latter loses five tosses in a row.

That is not so easy. England, even without Stokes is a very strong team and they would surely start as favourite. Heck, a bunch of county players just whitewashed full strength Pakistan....such is the bench strength of England. Though Stokes will be missed but people are over stating his absence.

Also, remember England is playing at home. So they would start as favourites and India as underdogs for the series.

 

[Last Monetarist]

That is not so easy. England, even without Stokes is a very strong team and they would surely start as favourite. Heck, a bunch of county players just whitewashed full strength Pakistan....such is the bench strength of England. Though Stokes will be missed but people are over stating his absence.

Also, remember England is playing at home. So they would start as favourites and India as underdogs for the series.

That says more about the ineptitude of Pakistan than England's bench strength. In any case, England's depth in white ball cricket is in stark contrast to the dearth of quality first-class players in county cricket.

India are the better side on paper and England's batting is too brittle to be relied upon. There should be no excuses if Kohli doesn't win this series.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

That is not so easy. England, even without Stokes is a very strong team and they would surely start as favourite. Heck, a bunch of county players just whitewashed full strength Pakistan....such is the bench strength of England. Though Stokes will be missed but people are over stating his absence.

Also, remember England is playing at home. So they would start as favourites and India as underdogs for the series.

Hello, you look confused here. Those bunch of county players played in a LOI series against Pakistan. We are talking about England vs India test series here. You were pretty confident last month and said India will win both WTC final and England series. What has happened to you now? India has a full strength team, beat Aus in Aus and won against England at home so it is India who is favorite to win this series. This is a big blow for England.

 

[Rajdeep]

Hello, you look confused here. Those bunch of county players played in a LOI series against Pakistan. We are talking about England vs India test series here. You were pretty confident last month and said India will win both WTC final and England series. What has happened to you now? India has a full strength team, beat Aus in Aus and won against England at home so it is India who is favorite to win this series. This is a big blow for England.

I am still confident and already predicted in this thread that India will win 3-1. But its hilarious to read people are counting England off in their home ground just because 1 player is missing.

It dosent matter which format it was, the fact that a overnight organized county players whitewashed a full strength Pak team shows the bench strength of Eng and how difficult it is to beat them at home.

ECB/England cricket has enough back up to replace Stokes.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Stokes going out doesn't make India firm favorites.

Cricket doesnt work that way.

It aint linear.

Stokes isnt to England what Steve Smith is to Aus...he was just a handy support cast last time around.

This Indian team barely has any batsmen for these conditions and on top of it Bumrah and Ishant look poor.

 

[bantu]

Why? India is going to field a full strength team. We have Rohit, Kohli, Pujara, Rahul, Pant, Siraj, Bumrah, Shami, Jaddu, Ashwin, Ishant. Why can't we beat England in England?

I am basing this on last tour to England .. Only Kohli looked good and his form has now regressed.. other batsmen have been and are still pretty inconsistent.. No Shubman Gill..
Bowling is good but Bumrah is not in form and it always seems difficult for our bowlers to get their tailenders out quickly..

 

[SpiritOf1903]

3-1 india

England still selecting players based on promise. Hameed needs to return

 

[dildilpak]

4-1 England. The Indian batting looks good on paper but they are either in woeful form (Kohli, Rahane) or suspect against good swing bowling (Rohit, Pujara).

 

[Devadwal]

People who feel without Stokes india have best chance to win a series in England.
Last England tour of india jadeja was not available due to injury but atill india win that series with 3-1

Who is most impact player -
Jadeja in india or Stokes in England??

 

[Mamoon]

People who feel without Stokes india have best chance to win a series in England.
Last England tour of india jadeja was not available due to injury but atill india win that series with 3-1

Who is most impact player -
Jadeja in india or Stokes in England??

Jadeja is a phenomenal cricketer but he is replaceable for India in home matches because (a) the opposition struggles against spin anyway (b) Ashwin is there and (c) India have plenty of quality spinners who can exploit home conditions against weak players of spin.

On the other hand, Stokes is a massive loss for England because he is their second best batsman after Root and you cannot replace his runs and impact with the bat.

His replacement will struggle against Indian bowlers.

Stokes is definitely more valuable for England than Jadeja is for India, and this doesn’t mean Jadeja isn’t a great player; it simply means that it is relatively easier for India to replace Jadeja, especially in Indian conditions, than it is for England to replace Stokes.

 

[PakLFC]

England will win it 3-1. No reason to think why India will not struggle in England as usual unless their bowling is any better compared to past visits. As for Stokes I really feel he is going the Freddie Flintofff way here. He just doesn't seem happy whenever I see him. Really hope his career is not shortened like that of Freddie but his mental health is a major concern. England will struggle to replace a player of such quality.

 

[OMB]

India will still lose to England. Stokes or no stokes, the form of Indian openers and Middle order as well as Bumrah has been worrying. We have lost Shubnam to injury already and the ones that aren’t performing are safe from injuries lol.

our spinners can win a match or two but overall indicators are in favour of English team. They know how to use conditions better and know how to pace innings for a draw or a win.
I predict Kohli will regain his form and glory but still predict 3-1 to England.

 

[PakLFC]

For India to stand a chance Kohli is defo gonna have to be on top form. Even though India has other top batsmen Kohli is the one who mostly holds them together in a crises situation. Ando and Broady will do the business for me if the weather holds up. The days when England would collapse with average players like Ian Austin have long gone. These English lads don't give an inch to anyone.

 

[Ashmal]

I am still confident and already predicted in this thread that India will win 3-1. But its hilarious to read people are counting England off in their home ground just because 1 player is missing.

It dosent matter which format it was, the fact that a overnight organized county players whitewashed a full strength Pak team shows the bench strength of Eng and how difficult it is to beat them at home.

ECB/England cricket has enough back up to replace Stokes.

Big difference between Eng's white ball teams and Test team, they just lost to NZ at home and.....not sure how ODIs against Pakistan are relevant here.

This Eng test batting lineup is already their weakest in a long time and with Stokes missing it's only gotten worse.

 

[Ashmal]

India will still lose to England. Stokes or no stokes, the form of Indian openers and Middle order as well as Bumrah has been worrying. We have lost Shubnam to injury already and the ones that aren’t performing are safe from injuries lol.

our spinners can win a match or two but overall indicators are in favour of English team. They know how to use conditions better and know how to pace innings for a draw or a win.
I predict Kohli will regain his form and glory but still predict 3-1 to England.

Shubman Gill was struggling pretty badly in last few games and perhaps was on the verge of being dropped....it might be a blessing in disguise for India with KL Rahul coming in his place, he has done well in practice games so far.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Too many folks don't follow the England test side closely enough to realize that their batting is a complete shambles, and that the majority of their batsmen are more suspect against high quality seam bowling than any of the Indian batsmen.

Burns, Sibley, Crawley isn't exactly a top 3 which is test standard, while the middle order (other than Root) isn't much cop either. Removing Stokes from the equation completely changes the dynamic of the side.

If the Indian pace attack of Bumrah, Shami, and Sharma turn up, England would struggle to cross 200. If the Indian team hasn't acclimatized to conditions despite being in the UK since June, then they should all pack in playing test cricket.

 

[street cricketer]

People don't realise how tough it is to beat England in its own home patch in a full series. England are not the greatest travellers but even when they have average to above average teams, they have managed to stay undefeated in a series because their conditions are so different from others and almost all their players in County championship are prototypes of the type of players you want in English conditions that it's hard to defeat them in their own conditions. It is also their bane in the sense that all their players are of a similar mould of players you want in English conditions but would struggle in say Australian or subcontinent conditions. It's why they have struggled in Australia and in India recently but that doesn't matter in home conditions. The last time I remember them losing a series while playing a full strength or a near full strength team was against Sri Lanka and that was just a 2 match series if I remember correctly.

I thought the Australians were better on the whole but still they could only draw the Ashes in 2019 while Anderson was missing the series. And Anderson is a lot more crucial to England's setup than Stokes, as good as Stokes is. Stokes had a very average series vs India in 2018 but still England managed to beat India 4-1 with Sam Curran alone firing on all cylinders along with the likes of Anderson, Woakes and Broad. They could debut Jamie Porter in the series for all I care and he still could pick wickets vs India in the test series and I think Ollie Robinson is going to have a good series this summer. The only way I see England struggling is if the wickets are flat or even dry like the Edgbaston wicket for the Ashes opener in 2019. But knowing what BCCI did to qualify for the WTC, I see ECB repeating the favour to us and can see damp greenish wickets for us and in that case, India is going to have a very hard time as none of their batsmen can bat against the seaming ball except Kohli to an extent.