Touring England has never been an enjoyable experience for India and since 1985, the Indians have only won two test series in England.
Green wickets, overhead conditions, as well as some of the finest exponents of seam bowling to have played the game have caused India all sorts of different problems. The latest came in 2011 when England completed a 4-0 rout of an Indian team that looked well out of their depth after not putting up much of a fight.
The 2018 tour of England is fast approaching with the first test taking place on the first of August at Edgbaston. The Indian team getting ready to board the plane will feel a lot more positive than some of the other squads that have made the trip to England. Their positivity will be based on their current form as well as England’s.
England were able to hold Pakistan to a drawn series after winning the final test against Mickey Arthur’s men at Headingley. The pressure was on the English after they were soundly beaten at Lords by nine wickets during the first test and it seems there is a fragility in this current team that can be exploited by Kohli and Co.
At a time where the England top order is in turmoil, the Indian fast bowlers are finding a new lease of life on green wickets. Their performance at the Wanderers against South Africa in January during the third test was hugely impressive as they managed a consolation victory that would have gone a long way in illustrating their growing skills in conditions away from home.
Kohli will begin his stint with Surrey this month as the Indian captain leads by example in trying to overcome the odds on foreign soil. The Indian captain’s time in England, as well as the rest of the team’s, will be hugely beneficial with the World Cup 2019 in England less than 12 months away. India are at 9/2 to win the World Cup in cricket betting and this tour will be invaluable as far as preparations go.
England are a formidable team that are searching for the right personnel and combinations as they look to establish themselves at the top of world cricket again but on the balance of the current state of play, there isn’t a better time to play England at home.
Virat Kohli is a ruthless captain with a shrewd cricketing brain and he will know England are there for the taking. With just under two months to go, the English selectors will do what they can to add additions to the side that will make them harder to beat but they won’t have any more test matches to try them out before the start of the series against India.
Without a ball having been bowled yet, it feels as if any early momentum is with India, given the contrasting state of the two sides currently. What Virat Kohli and the rest of his team would do to have the test series start tomorrow.