India vs England: Will Virat Kohli join the league of Wadekar, Kapil Dev, Dravid by winning Test series?
Will Virat Kohli join the select band of Indian skippers who have won Test series in England? Given this year’s warm and dry summer in Ol’ Blighty, can Team India overcome England, in its backyard, to win the five-Test series coming up in August-September 2018?
Ajit Wadekar, Kapil Dev and Rahul Dravid are considered to be legendary captains because they are the only ones to have led India to Test series win in England, ever since the Indians played their first ever Test match at Lord’s in June 1932.
Kapil Dev, besides leading India to that momentous Prudential World Cup win in 1983, marshalled India to victory in two out of the three Tests in 1986. Wadekar’s and Dravid’s teams won one Test each in 1971 and 2007 respectively.
Sourav Ganguly, who is revered for his leadership, is the only Indian skipper to have drawn a series in England, in 2002. In the new millennium, the Indian team, with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh etc.
Sourav Ganguly, who is revered for his leadership, is the only Indian skipper to have drawn a series in England, in 2002. In the new millennium, the Indian team, with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, VVS Laxman, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh etc.
besides Ganguly, Dravid and Kohli in its ranks have played 16 Test matches in England, winning three and losing eight. Therefore, despite pundits saying that the present Indian team is one of the best ever in terms of talent, Kohli has a tough task at hand.
India is set to play a five-Test series in England only for the third time in 86 years. Besides the full series in 2014, under Dhoni, India had played a five-test series in 1959 in Ol’ Blighty under the captaincy of Datta Gaekwad; England, led by Peter May, had then blanked India 5-0.
Will Virat Kohli join the select band of Team India skippers who have won Test series in England? Illustration courtesy Austin Coutinho
Half of India’s Test team has been in England for almost a month now, playing in the T20 and ODI series against the hosts. India won the T20 series quite comfortably but was outplayed by England in the ODI series after Kuldeep Yadav had won the first match of the series on his own with a magical spell of spin bowling.
India is set to play a five-Test series in England only for the third time in 86 years. Besides the full series in 2014, under Dhoni, India had played a five-test series in 1959 in Ol’ Blighty under the captaincy of Datta Gaekwad; England, led by Peter May, had then blanked India 5-0.
Will Virat Kohli join the select band of Team India skippers who have won Test series in England? Illustration courtesy Austin Coutinho
Half of India’s Test team has been in England for almost a month now, playing in the T20 and ODI series against the hosts. India won the T20 series quite comfortably but was outplayed by England in the ODI series after Kuldeep Yadav had won the first match of the series on his own with a magical spell of spin bowling.
The Indians, perhaps a bit cocky after their initial success, were let down by their top order batsmen and their pacers in the second and third ODIs. What should really be worrying Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, though, as the Test matches approach, is the assurance with which Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and skipper Eoin Morgan faced the spin and guile of Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Over the years, the ‘cruel’ English weather and the grassy, seaming tracks there has been the bane of touring teams. The unusual summer of ‘18 in England has prompted Ganguly to wonder – from the commentary box – if he was watching a match in Kolkata. Kohli had hoped that his wrist spinners would trouble the hosts, on the flattish wickets, but the Englishmen seem to have worked them out.
Over the years, the ‘cruel’ English weather and the grassy, seaming tracks there has been the bane of touring teams. The unusual summer of ‘18 in England has prompted Ganguly to wonder – from the commentary box – if he was watching a match in Kolkata. Kohli had hoped that his wrist spinners would trouble the hosts, on the flattish wickets, but the Englishmen seem to have worked them out.
Yadav’s figures, in the second and third ODIs, were 3-68 and 0-55, while Chahal’s were 1-43 and 0-41. Yadav has now been included in the Indian Test squad but one really wonders if he will be played ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, after his latest ODI performances.
This post is from https://www.firstpost.com
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