India eyeing series victory against England at Manchester

 The last week brought a series of good news for Indian cricket fans. It started with an amazing come from behind 157-run victory at Kennington Oval, followed by a surprise inclusion of India's best off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the T20 World Cup squad. If this wasn't enough, the fans were ecstatic with the announcement of MS Dhoni’s appointment as Team Mentor for the prestigious limited-overs tournament (T20 World Cup)- a coveted trophy that has eluded the Kohli/Shastri partnership.

But here we are, further North of England, at Old Trafford, playing England in the final test match, a golden opportunity to carry forward the momentum and win back the Pataudi Trophy after ten years. A draw or a win in the last test will ensure that Virat Kohli and his team will claim the trophy, a feat last achieved by Rahul Dravid led team in 2007.

 

But can the current Indian team put in one final effort and beat England at its fortress – Manchester (where England has lost just one of the last fifteen tests played). Surely if any team can do it, it has to be the current Indian team, riding high on confidence and rewriting records – not worried about the blemishes of the previous tours (India has never won at Old Trafford in the nine test matches they have played here). 

Over the last five years, England has had a formidable record at Old Trafford, winning five out of their last six test matches. India last played against England on this ground in August 2014, when the MS Dhoni-led India side suffered an embarrassing innings defeat, with Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali creating havoc in the first & second innings, respectively. 

Indian team, without the services of its coach Ravi Shastri is riding high on confidence and would look to end the long & gruelling tour on a good note. India’s strengths in the series - solid opening partnerships between Rohit & KL, fast bowlers’ ability to take wickets at crucial stages, and not to forget the contribution from the lower order, have ensured it is ahead in the series – with one test to go. Shardul Thakur, Shami and Bumrah have all contributed with the bat at different stages of the series. India’s number-three Pujara has also regained confidence with important second innings contributions of 91 and 61 in the Leeds and Oval Test, respectively. His ability to play spin well should also hold India in good stead.

Bumrah’s match-winning abilities were at display at Oval, but what was heartening to see was the return of Umesh Yadav, who bowled consistent lines & length, something he has struggled to do in his previous outings on overseas tours. 

On the other hand, English supporters will hope that captain Joe Root, the best batsman in the team by a long distance, could carry his rich vein of form (564 runs at an astonishing average of 94 with three centuries) and help England post a respectful total. The fact that no English batsman (with an exception of Root) figures among the top 5 series run-getters exacerbates its batting woes. The coming back to form of English openers Rory Burns and Hameed is a welcome sign, but England will need meaningful contributions from their middle-order batsmen to compete against the in-form Indian line-up. 

James Anderson, despite being in the twilight of his career, remains a major threat and he will look to add to his tally of15 wickets at his home ground. Ollie Robinson, the find of this season, has been the highest wicket-taker (21 wickets) and has posed serious questions every time he has bowled against the Indian batsmen, who have often struggled against the tall bowlers. The English side has also been bolstered with the return of fit again all-rounder Chris Woakes, with a match haul of 7 wickets and a fifty in the first innings at Oval.

 

England, despite boasting an impressive record at Old Trafford, will have its task cut out against this Indian team which has made it a habit of breaking big records and surprising oppositions with their incredible performance. Having watched the current Indian team over the last few years, it won’t come as a surprise to fans if the Virat-Kohli led team complete the unimaginable record of beating both Australia and England during the same calendar year, a feat not many subcontinent teams have achieved in their cricketing history. 

Expected Team Changes

Indian team is likely to make few changes to the playing XI, with Mohd. Shami returning to the team after being given time off at Oval. Ajinkya Rahane’s patchy form on the tour means he is likely to make way for Hanuma Vihari, who with a solid technique can negate the English conditions. Vihari also has the experience of playing county cricket earlier this year. With Old Trafford pitch likely to take a turn in the second innings, Ravichandran Ashwin could get a look-in as well. It would be interesting to see if team management continues with a four-pacer theory or go back to two spinner-three pacer theory, an idea dumped by team management after the WTC final defeat.

India (Likely XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk.), Jadeja / Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Jasprit Bumrah

With Craig Overton injured and looking off-colour during the last test, the English team will welcome the return of their quickest bowler Mark Wood. With his extra pace and height, he can trouble the Indian batsmen under seaming overcast conditions. Jos Buttler returning after a short paternity leave will take up the wicketkeeping duties and could replace Bairstow, who has had a quiet series and failed to convert the number of starts. Buttler, who has failed to put up a big score in the last three matches, also received the vote of confidence from his captain for his match-winning abilities. Ollie Pope, who scored 81 in the first innings of the Oval Test, will for sure retain his place and play at number 5. 

Both James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have gone through heavy workloads during the test series, and it will be interesting to see if England management decides to rest one of the two pacers. James Anderson – playing at his home ground could still play and Jack Leach could play his first test of the series – in case England decide to rest Robinson.

England (Likely XI): Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Jos Butler (wk.), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Jack Leach

Ground and weather conditions:

The English summer is coming to an end, and the temperature is likely to drop as we move north of England to this beautiful city of Manchester. Rain is likely to stay away for the greater part of the test match, with one or two spells of rain forecasted on the first day. Over the years, the pitch has been conducive for both fast and spin bowlers. While pacers will enjoy the cold and overcast conditions, spinners should also have a role to play in both innings. In their last game at the ground, both England and Pakistani spinners had a successful outing, with Yasir Shah claiming eight wickets in the match. We expect spin to play a role, so it won’t be a surprise if both sides pick two spinners in their bowling line-up. With less than 24 hours to go for the toss, and India on the verge of making history, the fans will be glued to their TV screens to watch two giants of the game Anderson and Kohli resume their battle for one final time. 

Girish Bhatia

Pure Cricket

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Pics Courtesy; Internet