4 reasons why India can beat England in England
England for India has always been a place which has been the toughest for India to win in. The conditions are alien to the likes of the Indian batsman. India has only once beaten England in England once in 2007 under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy. The last time India toured England was forgettable, as India went on to lose the 5 match series 3-1 even after drawing and winning the 1st and 2nd Test match respectively. Although in 2014, for many players England was unfamiliar territory as players like Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rohit Sharma failed to leave a mark but this time the players have gathered plenty of experience playing all over the world.
In the last overseas Test series tour to South Africa, although India lost the series 1-2, there were plenty of positives to take away as India’s fast bowling, as well as India’s batting, was praised by cricket pundits. This time India has a very good chance to do the impossible- Beat England in England. There are a lot of players who have taken experience in the County circuit like Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and R.Ashwin. India can feel very optimistic going into this 5 match Test series against England.
So here are 4 reasons why India can beat England in England in the longest format of the game for only the second time ever.
#4 King Kohli will lead this time
Although Virat Kohli had failed miserably the last time India toured England, this time Kohli will be captaining India for the first time in England. He has taken great strides in international cricket since that awful outing. He scored a heap of runs for India in Test matches since being appointed the captain in 2015 following the retirement of MS Dhoni. In the last Test series against England, India steamrolled past their opposition. Kohli scored a record 655 runs in 8 innings which included 1 double century, 2 centuries and 2 fifties.
Kohli was set to play County cricket for the first time in his career as well which would have been perfect for him to get used to the English conditions but an injury to his neck ruled him out. This time Virat Kohli has the perfect opportunity to redeem himself as he has the added responsibility of captaining the side. Thus it will be interesting to see how Kohli performs in England