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England's 'bazball' is set to face its biggest challenge as they gear up to face India on Thursday in the first Test of a five-match series on a likely spinning surface here which promises to test the batters' technique to its maximum potential.
India skipper Rohit Sharma already stated that the way England plays isn't their concern but the story of the five-match series will be 'Bazball' against spin. The last time England ended with a series win on Indian soil was in 2012 when Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted to perfection but the series fell in the visitors' favour because of Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann and James Anderson's heroics with the ball. Since then only Australia managed to almost draw a Test series on Indian soil in 2016/17. While the spin against 'Bazball' will unfold, India batter Shubman Gill will find himself in the spotlight as he looks to establish himself in the No. 3 spot, which belonged to Cheteshwar Pujara till 2023. The first Test from Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad will mark the beginning of a new dawn in the history of Indian Test cricket. The hosts will appear in a Test match without Kohli, Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane in their playing XI for the first time since November 2011. In the absence of Virat Kohli, the onus will fall on Gill to keep the scoreboard ticking and become a batter that India can rely on if the innings start to fall apart. The last time, England toured India, the 24-year-old averaged just 19.83, falling five times in seven innings to pacers. India's wicketkeeper scenario will also be a talking point after head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that KL Rahul won't be taking the role behind the stumps. KS Bharat and Dhruv Jurel are the two players who can take the role behind the stumps, but Rohit during the pre-match press conference didn't reveal who could fill in the empty spot. The third talking point for India would be the selection of the third spinner. With the likes of Axar Patel and Kuldeep Uadav in the mix, Axar is likely to gain a spot ahead of the Chinaman spinner because of his ability to bat. While India spinners carry a massive threat to England batters, Jack Leach could spearhead England's attack after his successes in their last India tour in 2020-21. He took 18 wickets in four Tests at an average of 28.72, During the series, a couple of milestones are also on the cusp of breaking with Ravichandran Ashwin (490) and Ravindra Jadeja (275) eyeing to reach the 500 and 300-wicket milestones respectively. (ANI)
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