James Richardson previews the first test between England and India.
Test cricket heavyweights England and India begin their battle on Wednesday, 4 August.
This Test series will be the main event of the English summer, with Virat Kohli hunting a missing piece of his series wins puzzle.
England vs India | First Test | Wednesday 4 August – Sunday 8 August 2021 | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | 12:00
England
England will be without star man Ben Stokes, who has taken a mental health break after a hectic few years for the allrounder.
Haseeb Hameed returns to the England squad for the first time since 2016 and might have an outside shot of making the XI for a Test on his county home ground.
England may look to manage to the workloads of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, but with injuries elsewhere in the fast bowling department, will need their experienced hands at the pump.
It will be a toss-up between Jack Leach and Dom Bess for the spinner’s role, if England do not opt for an all-pace attack which is a possibility.
India
The India Test squad has been in England for some time, preparing for this series while a separate white-ball group has been in action in Sri Lanka.
Kohli will want to win a series in England to further his credentials as perhaps India’s greatest Test skipper.
The team will be smarting from defeat in the World Test Championship final to New Zealand at the Rose Bowl but could use that experience to aid them in this series.
India have a few exciting young quicks in their group, but the key man might just be the experienced Ishant Sharma, who has plenty of tours to England under his belt and just keeps getting better.
Verdict: England
England should hold a slight edge.
