3 reasons why England can pull off another Test series victory in India
The 2012-13 season saw Alastair Cook's England pull off a historic 2-1 win in a 4-Test series away at India. Since then, no side has managed to beat the Indian cricket team in their home conditions.
Under a new and equally impactful captain in Joe Root, England face off against Virat Kohli's India in a 4-Test series. Chennai and Ahmedabad will host two matches each, and a number of world-class cricketers will lock horns in what promises to be a cracker of a series.
England are the definite underdogs heading into the series against India, but it would be foolish to write them off. Here are 3 reasons why England could orchestrate another historic series win in India.
#3 England have a fearsome pace attack
Wickets in India have evolved considerably over the last few years, and now offer swing and seam with the new ball. The likes of Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami have reaped the benefits of this at home, and England's potent pace attack could follow in the same footsteps.
James Anderson, who has often been called a home-track bully, is fresh off a record-breaking 6-wicket haul in Sri Lanka. In hot, humid conditions on a flat deck, England's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket found seam and bowled with unerring accuracy.
Jofra Archer has the pace and bounce to trouble any batsman in the world, should he decide to "bend his back". Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes have also been superb for their country over the last couple of years, while Ben Stokes has bowled his heart out whenever called upon.
England will probably only play two frontline pacers along with Stokes, but those two bowlers will be world-class irrespective of who is picked.
#2 England captain Joe Root is leading from the front
England captain Joe Root earned two Man of the Match awards and one Man of the Series award as he led his team to a comprehensive whitewash away at Sri Lanka.
The Yorkshireman comes into this series high on confidence and form, and his superb record in India further sets him up for success - he has aggregated 584 runs in the 6 Tests he has played in India at an average of 53.09.
With his sweeps and drives, Root is the cornerstone around which the England batting lineup has been built. His form might not be as impressive in the limited-overs formats, but in red-ball cricket, he is right up there with the best batsmen in the world.
Root's captaincy has also been tactically astute, and England have lost only 1 of their last 11 Tests........
#1 England are high on confidence with an impressive recent record
England have been one of the best teams in world cricket over the last two years. The 2018 home series against India saw them walk away 4-1 winners, followed by a 3-0 whitewash away in Sri Lanka.
A minor blip away at West Indies was next, but England made amends by vanquishing Ireland in a one-off Test and drawing the Ashes despite going behind in the series twice.
Joe Root's side then lost a Test away at New Zealand, before going on a superb streak - 3-1 win in South Africa, 2-1 win at home against West Indies, 1-0 win at home against Pakistan and finally the 2-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka.
With a number of match-winners in both departments, the in-form England are more than capable of springing a surprise in India.