Three Lions in India’s den

Hyderabad, January 24

India have not lost a Test series at home in more than a decade but that formidable record will be under threat when Rohit Sharma’s side take on England in a five-match series beginning here tomorrow.

Ben Stokes returns from knee surgery to skipper the side under coach Brendon McCullum, with the pair ready to unleash the ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach which has injected new life into the Test format.

16 India have been in terrific form since their 2012 loss to England — winning 16 series on the trot, including 7 sweeps

10 Joe Root (2,526) is only 10 runs away from surpassing Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-getter in Tests between England and India

13 India are going into a Test match without either Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane in their XI for the first time since 2011

England have not lost a Test series since the duo took charge in 2022 but beating India in India, which former Australia captain Steve Waugh famously called the “final frontier”, remains the toughest challenge in the game.

You have always got to think that the ball is going to turn in India, but you don’t want to go in with any preconceived ideas. We have to adapt. India is one of those places where you’ve got to think about selection a lot more than anywhere else in the world. Ben Stokes, England captain

With their last Test series defeat coming in the 2012-13 season, India will start as favourites despite having a Virat Kohli-shaped hole in their batting order.

Kohli will miss the first two matches due to personal reasons and the late development had left India wondering how they would replace arguably the best batter of this era.

Middle-order batter Rajat Patidar is expected to join the squad as a replacement for Kohli for the Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam matches, with KS Bharat doing the wicketkeeping duties.

India’s bid to win a 17th consecutive home Test series, however, hinges on the success of their three-pronged spin attack led by mainstays Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

But picking the third spinner was a “headache” for Rohit, having to choose between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.

“It was a headache to decide who it is going to be for us. But I am not going to say who it is,” said Rohit. “If the wicket has bounce or if it doesn’t have bounce, he (Kuldeep) still is a factor in those types of conditions because he’s got superb variations. Axar, you know, with his all-round ability, gives us that batting depth. The consistency that he’s shown, playing in these conditions in Test cricket, also is an important factor for us.”

Spin-heavy England

Stokes rated Mark Wood as an “impact builder” with high pace after they decided to enter the first Test with a solitary fast bowler and three spinners.

Wood was preferred over veteran James Anderson for this match, and Stokes said the Durham man’s ability to touch 150 kmph tilted the scales in his favour.

“Obviously, what he brings with his high pace…he is a real impact builder. Bowling the 90 mile an hour with a reversing ball is obviously going to be very difficult to play against. He’s another weapon which you can use out here with short, sharp spells, wanting him to be bowling as fast as he can and short periods. There’re no worries about these long spells because that’s how we’re going to use him this week,” said Stokes on the eve of the match.

The focus, then, will be on England’s three-spinner strategy as they will field Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and debutant Tom Hartley with Joe Root adding another part-time spin option.

Stokes gave a broad guideline about how England arrived at the decision.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s bold or brave. It’s just me and Baz (McCullum) looking at the wicket and picking the XI that we think will give us the best chance. You have always got to think that the ball is going to turn in India, but you don’t want to go in with any preconceived ideas. We have to adapt,” he said. — Agencies

#England #Rohit Sharma