CHENNAI: When the first Test of the five-match series between India and hosts England begins in Leeds, Headingley on Friday, it will also mark the beginning and a possible end of an era for both the teams. For an in-transition India, it will be the start of a new partnership between a newly-appointed and young captain Shubman Gill and the headstrong Gautam Gambhir.
The English side, led by Ben Stokes, meanwhile, will be at the opposite end of the spectrum. The next few months will decide how long the current partnership between the captain and coach Brendon McCullum will continue and what the future holds for their now famous Bazball brand of cricket.
As the teams also begin their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with the series, a favourable result here can set the tone for the winners ahead of the next final in 2027. While India made it to the two WTC finals out of three, England, despite being all about the fearless cricket they play, have never managed to qualify for the summit clash.
England will have an away Ashes in their periphery and if they can best India, they will have raised visions of a first series win in Australia in almost 15 years. For the visitors, a series win will show the management that they are on the right track in terms of captain, coach and at least some of the probable batting replacements.
With Stokes and Co playing on their home turf, pressure will be on the visitors. Considering their records in the country in the last decade and a half, it does not inspire confidence. In fact, India had won a Test series in Old Blighty only thrice in their history — 1971 under Ajit Wadekar, 1986 with Kapil Dev as the captain and 2007 with Rahul Dravid at the helm. Since the last series triumph, India have lost thrice and drew the series once. It was a 0-4 whitewash in 2011. They have managed to win at least once the last three times — 1-3 (2014), 1-4 (2018) and 2-2 (this series was played over a year with a Covid induced break following an uptick of cases in 2021).
What makes the series more challenging for India is the absence of stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin. With the trio now retired from the longest format, the onus will be on young cricketers, most of whom will be playing their first Test series in England. Skipper Gill too has played only three Tests in England (two WTC finals — one each against Australia and New Zealand and a match against the hosts three years ago) out of 32 he has played so far since making his debut five years ago.
Given the lack of exposure on English soil, Gill was bound to be asked the question on the eve of the match. "A lot of people talk about, you know, our side is not experienced, but there are also positives that we don't really have any baggage coming to England, because not all of the players have really been to England," the Indian captain replied. "So that could be one thing that really makes a difference for us because we wouldn't be carrying any baggage. The blueprint which we have got from our seniors in the last 5-10 years is that we can go and win anywhere, we will try to follow that with the same confidence," he added.
As far as the hosts under Stokes are concerned, they have been quite formidable at home. Since Stokes took over as the full-time Test captain in April 2022, they have won 15 out of 20 Tests, losing four and drawing only one. It also highlights their approach where they are more inclined towards outright results rather than going for a draw.
This, however, does not mean England are going to take the young Indian side lightly. Stokes confirmed the same on Thursday. "There's been a lot said about no Rohit, no Virat and no Ashwin, that doesn't mean that we think it's going to be any easier than what it ever is against India. The pool of talent that Indian cricket has is just ginormous," Stokes told the media during the pre-match press conference. "Although Virat, Rohit and Ashwin have done amazing things for their country on the field, that doesn't mean that whoever comes in to replace those individuals are going to be any less hard to bowl at or bat against, just because of how big the pool of talent is in India," he affirmed.
With the high octane series about to begin, the two teams will leave no stone unturned to outclass each other. A clear picture might emerge in the next 45 days but the results will have a long term impact on both the teams, captains and coaches.
