3 things India need to do right to beat England in the 1st Test
Under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England have never lost a Test series. They have won 13 out of 18 Tests under the new management, with five series wins and only two drawn affairs.
In their most recent assignment, the 2023 Ashes, England roared back from a sizeable deficit to level the scores and nearly clinch the urn. Stokes and company are a formidable team, and India are facing arguably their biggest home challenge of the last decade.
Rohit Sharma and company are an excellent outfit at home, but they will need to be at the top of their game with planning and preparation. Here are three things India need to do right to beat England in the first Test.
#3 Axar Patel can offer a lot to the team, and he needs to be used wisely
One of India's trump cards at home, Axar Patel wasn't used very smartly during the last series against Australia. He wasn't promoted in the batting lineup even though he was one of the best batters on display across both teams, and his bowling was reduced to a bit-part role.
This time around, India shouldn't make the same mistakes. Axar is an excellent player of spin who can add serious value in the top seven and shouldn't be used at No. 9, where he is often forced to bat with the tail. The left-arm spinner is also relentlessly accurate and seems to have found his bowling mojo once again.
Axar is a world-class Test all-rounder in home conditions, and India need to extract the best out of him to win.
#2 India will need to put certain England bowlers under pressure
England are going in without both James Anderson and Ollie Robinson in the lineup, and that could backfire if India play their cards right. Without a control pacer in the side, Ben Stokes might struggle to build pressure from both ends.
Mark Wood is the lone quick, and he is not the most accurate bowler. He is bound to give away a few boundary balls in search of wickets and wasn't in the best of form during the 2023 World Cup.
Leg-spinners haven't been too successful in Test cricket lately, and Rehan Ahmed is another bowler who could be taken for a few runs on occasion. Even Tom Hartley, who will be on debut, can be attacked.
India need to make the most of the run-scoring opportunities they are handed and have to be proactive against certain England bowlers, especially given the make-up of the current attack.
#1 Rohit Sharma and company can't afford to go onto the backfoot if England attack
During the 2023 Ashes, Australia made a few mistakes that India need to learn from. Zak Crawley signaled his intent with a cracking four through the off-side, and Pat Cummins immediately went on the defensive by spreading the field.
England are likely to attack from the outset once again, but Rohit Sharma will need to keep his foot on the pedal and counter fire with fire. The Indian skipper's defensive captaincy came for criticism during the recently concluded South Africa tour, and if he continues in the same vein, the hosts could be in serious trouble.
Even if England score a few quick runs or take a few quick wickets, India, on their part, will need to keep up with the visitors in terms of aggression. There's nothing Stokes and McCullum love more than being the men to dictate terms, and Rohit can't let that happen.
India need to set attacking fields and have fielders in catching positions throughout the contest.