Can King Kohli Conquer England ?

Edgbaston, England is all set to kick start the historic and most awaited test series between England and India welcoming the English summer.  The conditions in England have currently changed producing a heatwave which seems almost like conditions playing in Mumbai or Chennai. India should make use of their wrist spinners in these favorable conditions “Make hay while the sun shines “- this proverb usually traces its origin to England where bright sunlight is a rare sight.

However considering these situations alone, this series will not be a walkover as both sides are evenly poised as on paper. But the hosts have a slight advantage as India’s last test series win in England came way back a decade ago under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid. So it will be an uphill task for Virat & his men to turn the tide in India’s favor considering the injury woes of their in-form bowlers Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Adding to this, India also faces batting woes as their only left-hand opener Shikhar Dhawan failed to open his account in a practice game while Pujara, failed to make an impact despite his county practice. Even the Indian captain has his own ghosts of 2014 series haunting him where he managed to score mere 134 runs at an average of 13.40 – a number which he would love to forget. Hope he had worked on his exploits to outside off-stump.

India’s key to success will be how their batsmen get adapted to the English conditions. Ajinkya Rahane will be the backbone of India’s middle order considering his good performance in overseas. According to my perception, considering the recent form, KL Rahul should be opened alongside Vijay.

Dinesh Karthik who comes in place of injured Saha will like to strive hard to mark his place in the team as a permanent wicketkeeper for a greater extent. He has superfluous memories of  2007 tour of his contribution owing to India’s series win. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami will be the spearhead of Indian bowling in absence of bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah. Hardik Pandya is the only bowling all-rounder and he will be tested under English conditions.

Key Players: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Umesh Yadav

X-factor: Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma

Here is my probable X1 for the 1st Test

Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin / Kuldeep Yadav.

There is a saying that First Impression is the Best Impression.  Will Virat Kohli and men stun England and go 1-0 up in the series or will it be Barmy army singing all way along? Stay tuned for further updates until then it’s Amithrayvon signing off.