England vs India 2018: 5 key players for England in the Test series
After a disappointing start to their summer, which saw a 2-1 T20I series defeat against India, England are back on track with a commendable ODI series victory over Virat Kohli's men. After receiving a thumping from the visitors in the first game, they did not provide a moment for the Indian fans to cheer about in the next couple of matches.
It stands even-steven now, and we have a 5-match Test series coming up as a tie-breaker. BCCI has already announced the Indian squad, which has a fair balance of experience and exuberance, while England's squad is not announced yet. They have quite a few players of the supreme class who can be a headache to India. Let us have a look at 5 key English players for the upcoming Test series:
#5 Jonny Bairstow
In Wriddhiman Saha's absence, BCCI has selected Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant as the wicket-keepers for the tour. It will be interesting to see whether they both play or not, but England will most probably go with two keepers in Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler, as they have been doing in Tests recently.
Bairstow had a great Test series against New Zealand earlier this year, in which he scored 163 runs at an average of over 40. His form took a dip in the Test series against Pakistan but has found his rhythm back in the ODI series against India. He scored 106 runs in the 3 ODIs at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of over 130, and Bairstow regaining his form can be a worry for the Indians.