Don’t Be Surprised If India Wins the England Series – Here’s Why

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from the Test format ahead of the India tour of England, which surely puts the Test team in a lot of trouble. But various fans say that it is the GG era, which means that the coach will run his mastermind to ensure that the team grabs a historic Test win.

The Indian team did endure a tough phase in the Test format, as they once topped the WTC 2023-25 cycle and went on to not reach the finals. The upcoming India tour of England is an opportunity for the new coach Gautam Gambhir to take redemption for the previous two series losses against New Zealand at Home, and Australia away.

With Shubman Gill being announced as the new captain of the team, he is ready to take on the England challenge. Although the squad looks inexperienced, having youngsters like Sai Sudharsan, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and many more, they still have all-around strength, which could possibly beat the English team.

But England also comes with various experienced players and also has the home ground advantage, which gives them the better edge for the upcoming tour. Players like Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and many more will be present in the squad, adding their knowledgeable experience to the game. Still, there are a few reasons why the Indian team could win the series in England under Shubman Gill.

England’s Bowling Woes

It is not just the Indian team which will be heading into the England tour, as England also comes with an inexperienced bowling line-up. In the previous tour, the team had legends such as James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who caused various troubles for the Indian batsmen. However, both of them have been retired from the Test format and won’t be available for the team.

This also means that the team will now be relying on the new bowlers, most of whom lack experience against the Indian batsmen. The only experienced bowling option the team holds is in the form of Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes. While Woakes will be a primary bowler for the team, Stokes is an all-rounder, and may not be able to contribute as many wickets as possible.

Chris Woakes has played a handful of games against India, as he holds 23 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 33.30, and an economy of 3.02 runs per over. Although Woakes lacks experience against India, he has an idea of the English conditions, which makes him a crucial aspect for the team’s bowling line-up.

Out of the 57 Test matches he has played, 34 of them have been in England, making him a proper bowler for the home conditions. In those games, he has taken 137 wickets at an average of 21.59 and an economy of 3.01 runs per over. Along with that, all of his five-wicket hauls have been in England, making him a proper pacer for the team in home conditions.

Besides Woakes, Ben Stokes is the experienced bowler in the team, but they both might not be enough to tackle the strong Indian batting line-up. Against India, Stokes holds 40 wickets in 21 matches at an average of 31.17, and an economy of just 3.25 runs per over. Moreover, in England, he has taken 106 wickets in 49 matches at an average of 30.51 and an economy of 3.41.

Except for Stokes and Woakes, the team has young talents who do not have experience playing against the Indian team. Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Shoaib Bashir, along with a few others, have played a few to none matches against India. Thus, when it comes to experience in the bowling line-up, England only has Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes.

The Root of England’s Batting Line-Up

Not only does England hold an inexperienced bowling line-up, but their batting line-up also holds youngsters, who could be facing challenges. India will be heading to the series with bowlers such as Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and a few more, who have experience of playing against England.

But in the English batting line-up, Joe Root only stands as the key player, who holds good records and necessary experience against the Indian bowlers. Having played 30 Test matches against India, Root has scored 2846 runs at an average of 58.08, with 10 centuries and 11 half-centuries. In the previous India tour of England, he was also the Player of the Series for his batting approach.

Along with that, Joe Root will be playing in the home conditions, where he has played 79 matches and scored 6792 runs at an average of 54.77, with 21 centuries and 32 half-centuries. There is another aspect of the team’s batting line-up, which shall be noticed, is the lack of experienced players against the Indian bowlers, if Joe Root loses his wicket.

Harry Brook surely has an awesome Test career till now, but he has not played even a single match against the Indian team. Zak Crawley holds some experience against India, but his average stands at 31.22 in 9 matches, which showcases the challenges the English batsmen face in the top order.

Ben Duckett also has not performed well in the games against India, scoring 361 runs in 7 matches at an average of just 27.76 runs per innings. With just one century in 13 innings, Duckett’s records have not been favourable, and it is quite a similar case for the other English batsmen, except Joe Root.

This further shows that the top-order batsmen are likely to fall victim to the Indian bowlers, putting up some pressure on Root. And if the team is able to take Root’s wicket, they will be able to end the English innings soon, exposing the team’s lower order.

India’s X-Factor Batsmen

Batting in England will surely be challenging for the Indian batsmen. However, the team also holds not only one, but two X-factor players who could play a major role with the bat against England’s bowling line-up. These players include the youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal and the vice captain, Rishabh Pant.

Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the big name against England’s bowling line-up, as he dominated their bowlers in the previous India-England series, which was played in India. Also, it should be noted that Jaiswal played aggressively even against James Anderson, boosting his confidence for the series in England.

Playing just five matches against England, he has scored an impressive total of 712 runs at an average of 89, with 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries. Although these scores came while playing in India, he will surely aim to play as the X-factor for the team, while opening with the bat.

Along with him, the team also has Rishabh Pant, who will be holding the responsibilities of a vice-captain in the series against England. Known for his aggressive batting style and risky short selection, he will be making an impact with the bat, coming down the batting line-up.

Pant holds experience against England, and also in England. In 12 matches against England, he has scored 781 runs at an average of 39.05, with 3 centuries and 4 half-centuries. When playing in England, Pant holds 556 runs in 9 matches at an average of 32.70, with 2 centuries and 2 half-centuries.

Will England Get Bumrah-ed?

Not to forget, the Indian team comes with a generational star against England, which is Jasprit Bumrah. Although he will be playing just three matches in the upcoming series, it will surely be enough to turn the match and even the series result towards India.

There is no team which has not been dominated by Bumrah, as he holds 205 wickets in 45 Test matches at an average of 19.40, and an economy of just 2.76 runs per over. Against England, he has been phenomenal, with 60 wickets in 14 matches at an average of just 22.16, and an economy of 2.81 runs per over.

Not just against England, Jasprit Bumrah has also been dominant in England. Playing 9 Tests, he has taken an impressive total of 37 wickets at an average of 26.27, and an economy of just 2.72 runs per over. Along with that, most of the batsmen in England’s line-up are inexperienced against the Indian bowling line-up.

In the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Jasprit Bumrah came out as the top bowler, taking an impressive total of 32 wickets in just 9 innings at an average of 13.06 runs per wicket. Following the series, he was out of action due to some injury issues, but now he is ready to make his comeback in the Test format against England.

Several known batsmen from different teams have marked Jasprit Bumrah as the toughest to face in the current generation. Cricket analysts even know Bumrah as the cheat code for the Indian team whenever they need wickets.

With these advantages, India looks fully prepared for the upcoming series against England, and despite not having much favour in terms of home ground or batting line-up, the team could turn the tables and secure an impressive series win.