The truth about India’s chances against England in the Test series

Taking nothing away from the off-field importance, let’s look at what the action on the field promises to be. It’ll be a generational shift for both teams, as England line up without James Anderson and Stuart Broad, while India look at life after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Here’s our take on India’s chances in the series.

Touted as one of the captaincy candidates before Shubman Gill was appointed, KL Rahul remains India’s best bet with the bat. He’s their senior statesman in the team, although his career numbers (3257 runs from 58 Tests at a 33.57 average) don’t inspire confidence.

Rahul’s numbers in England are almost similar (nine Tests, 614 runs, 34.11 average), but his value goes beyond those. His ability to stay at the crease and play the new ball out will be invaluable in these conditions. A look at his top three scores in England (149 in 224 balls, 129 in 250 balls, and 84 in 214 balls) is a clear indicator of his worth.

The more KL stays at the crease, the better are India’s chances!

Enough said about India’s bowling lynchpin, who’s perhaps the best in the world currently, across formats. His record of 205 wickets in 45 Tests at an average of 19.40 is already one of the best.

If not for his back injury and the intense workload, Bumrah could already have been India’s Test captain! With no Mohammed Shami in the squad, Bumrah will be the Blues’ primary weapon.

Can they use him properly? There are already talks of playing him in only three Tests, but if the other bowlers come to the party and Bumrah takes adequate rest between spells, he may end up playing all five.

Therein lies India’s best chance to win the series!

This is a new-look and young Indian team that has come to England this time. There could be debuts for Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan, while Karun Nair makes a much-awaited comeback.

To be honest to this squad, even Gill isn’t sure of his place in the Test side, going by his record. Unless the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul, Nair, and Gill take advantage of a novice England attack, India may struggle to put runs on the board.

Therein lies a chance for India, but can their batsmen step up?

There’s some charm about wrist spinners, and England conditions have always helped such bowlers. Be it Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralitharan. Not quite in the same league yet, but Kuldeep Yadav may turn out to be India’s secret weapon in the series.

His numbers in Test cricket are still early (56 wickets in 13 Tests at a 22.16 average), but that’s because he hasn’t been unleashed yet. While he competes with Ravindra Jadeja for the primary spinner slot, it is worth noting that Kuldeep can be an aggressive option. Will India trust him and use him as a secret weapon against England?

So, here we are – these are going to be key factors that decide India's chances against England. What do you reckon?