What are India's strengths and where might England have some success?
Monday 7 November 2016 21:45, UK
England return to action in the first Test against India on Wednesday, a mere 10 days after they capitulated against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
The Test series was drawn but it is the collapse that saw them lose 10 wickets in a session - all of them to spin - in that most dramatic of defeats that will be remembered.
The prospect of taking on the world's No 1 ranked Test side, in similarly spin-friendly conditions, then, does not appear the ideal series in which to rebuild confidence.
That though is the challenge Alastair Cook's side face. Here, we look at what we know about India, their strengths and where England may get some joy…
Amazing Ashwin
He is the man England fans fear most going into the tour and there is no point sugar-coating it, in Ravichandran Ashwin, England - a side whose vulnerability to spin was so brutally exposed in Bangladesh - are coming up against a world-class spinner at the top of his game. With supreme control over both his off-breaks and brilliantly disguised carrom ball, England's batsmen will be tested to their very limits.
The 6ft 5in off-spinner tops the Test bowling rankings and took 20 wickets at just 21.05 in India's recent three-match series with New Zealand, including two six-wicket hauls and a seven-for. England must find a way of combating the all-rounder if they are to have any chance of upsetting the odds and winning the series.
With DRS in place for the series, it will be interesting to see how Ashwin fares. But, of course, while it could deny him the odd wicket, there is every chance the technology could help him claim back just as many, if not more. Either way the umpires are sure to be kept busy.
Opening issues
It is a problem England know well. Top-class opening batsmen are hard to find and those capable of producing on a consistent basis in the Test arena are all the more rare. In Cook, England at least know they have one. As such, that is one area at least that they may have the edge over India.
Virat Kohli's side used four different openers during the series with New Zealand. Murali Vijay was the only constant with Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and veteran Gautam Gambhir given one Test apiece at the top of the order.
However, none of the quartet could claim to have done enough to have nailed down a place. Vijay hit half-centuries in both innings of the first Test but had a top score of just 19 in his next four innings, Rahul made two scores in the thirties, Dhawan averaged just nine in his two innings and Gambhir - statistically the pick of the bunch - scored 29 and 50 in his two knocks.
Injuries to Dhawan and Rahul, as well as another potential option Rohit Sharma, mean Vijay and Gambhir will almost certainly fill the openers' berths in Rajkot. But whether the pair will still be in favour by the end of the series remains to be seen.
Kohli can be got at
For many, Virat Kohli is the best batsman on the planet, a supreme all-round player who continues to excel in every form of the game. And yet, there is reason to believe that England could have some joy against the India skipper.
Indeed, while he tops the ICC's T20 batting rankings and is second only to AB de Villiers in the ODI standings, he is a comparatively lowly 16th when it comes to Tests - below both Joe Root (fifth) and Alastair Cook (11th) - and is not even his country's highest-ranked player, that honour falls to Ajinkya Rahane (sixth).
Even if you ignore the rankings - and 16th in the world is still some achievement - Kohli's recent form in the longer format has been decidedly mixed and he struggled to make an impact in his first four innings in the New Zealand series with scores of nine, 18, nine and 45. That he fell to pace bowlers in three of those innings should also give England's impressive seam attack reason for optimism.
The caveat to all of this? It was spin that did for him in his fifth innings of that series… after he had smashed a career-best 211.
Win the toss
With spin expected to play such a big part in the series on pitches that are likely to deteriorate and making batting increasingly difficult as the game goes on, the toss could play a significant part in deciding the outcome.
India have won the toss in each of their last eight Tests on home soil, winning seven and drawing the other. Indeed, since Kohli took over from MS Dhoni as Test captain, he has won seven consecutive tosses in home matches, picking up six wins. In comparison he has called correctly only three times in 10 Tests abroad, of which India won only four.
Of course, winning the toss is no guarantee of success for England but given India's hugely impressive record in home conditions, it would certainly be a decent start.
Life without Dhoni
It is coming up to two years since Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket, the wicketkeeper calling it a day after the drawn Boxing Day Test in Melbourne confirmed India's defeat in the series.
Kohli took over the captaincy and since a one-off Test in Bangladesh ended in a draw, India have won their last four series by an aggregate score of 10-1 to rise to the top of the Test rankings.
Dhoni's retirement has though altered the balance of the side and led to a reshuffle. As well as leading the bowling attack, the pressure is on Ashwin to do his bit with the bat as well having been bumped up to No 7.
That is to accommodate Wriddhiman Saha, who has taken over behind the stumps and slots in at eight. However, after two half-centuries in three innings during the New Zealand series, averaging 112, he may be looking for a promotion himself before long.
Watch the first Test between India and England from 3.30am on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD.
