Clash of the wounded as England meet India in a new Test cycle

New Delhi — Revenge will be on Joe Root’s mind when he leads England in a five-Test series against Virat Kohli’s India beginning in Nottingham on Wednesday, kicking off a new World Test Series (WTC) cycle in the process.

Both sides are smarting from the mauling they received from New Zealand in June, with England losing at home and India in the WTC final in Southampton.

Under Root, England have lost four of their past five Tests, paying the price for sticking doggedly to a rest-and-rotation policy, which they have now decided to abandon.

They were beaten 3-1 in India earlier this year, and Root tasted his first home series defeat when New Zealand came calling.

“We are coming into a period of time now where rest and rotation is put behind us,” Root said recently. “Hopefully, if everyone is fit, we are going to have our best team available for what is to follow. That’s really exciting and something I’m very much looking forward to.”

Their bowling will have a big void in the absence of speedster Jofra Archer. The fast bowler underwent elbow surgery in May and has since made a low-key return for Sussex but is not yet ready for the rigours of Test cricket.

Root will also be disappointed that deputy Ben Stokes’s rushed comeback from a finger injury did not last long.

Stokes led a second-string England one-day squad to a 3-0 series sweep against Pakistan but has now taken an indefinite break from the game to prioritise his mental wellbeing.

India have their own share of personnel issues. Opener Shubman Gill, all-rounder Washington Sundar and pace bowler Avesh Khan have returned home with injuries even before the start of the series. Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is also recovering from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the warm-up match in Durham.

Opener Prithvi Shaw has been called up, but Mayank Agarwal is likely to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of their batting order in Nottingham.

New Zealand exposed India’s vulnerability in seamer-friendly conditions in Southampton, but Kohli is determined not to let James Anderson and Stuart Broad dominate.

“The idea from here on will be to try to score runs and not worry about getting out in testing conditions,” Kohli said of the challenge ahead. “That’s the only way you can score and put the opposition under pressure, otherwise you’re just literally standing there hoping that you don’t get out and eventually you will.”

Reuters