IND vs ENG: 3 England players who can pose a threat to India
Led by Rohit Sharma, the Indian Test squad is in England and they would be keen to wrap up the series on a winning note as they currently lead the five-match series 2-1.
Two impressive wins at Lord's and Oval gave India plenty of momentum before the series was called off owing to a Covid outbreak in the camp.
The England side have, since, seen plenty of churning. They lost the Ashes, went down to West Indies following which Joe Root stepped down as captain.
Brendon McCullum has taken over the Test coach and under new captain Ben Stokes, England have looked a resurgent unit in the current home series against New Zealand.
In this article, we take a look at 3 England players who can pose a threat to India:
3.) Matthew Potts
After making a stunning start to the County Championship this season, Matthew Potts earned a place in England's Test squad for the series against New Zealand. He has impressed in the two matches so far with his relentless line and length and ability to hit the deck and extract movement.
In the last leg, Ollie Robinson troubled the Indian batters and while Potts is few yards quicker, he can cause challenges to the Indian batting order when the conditions are conducive.
He already has 10 wickets in two matches and his ability to generate steepling bounce from good lengths make him a real handful - a bowler that syncs in perfectly with the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
2.) Zak Crawley
Zak Crawley has the talent and the strokes and under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, he will not be asked to curtail his natural instincts. He looked good in phases in the Ashes and played a couple of sprightly innings against the West Indies as well. However, he now needs to kick on and get big scores and shield the middle order from the new ball.
His numbers in Test cricket are not quite fleeting and he will be challenged by an extremely skilled Indian bowling attack. However, with a long rope and assurance of the dressing room, Crawley can cause few problems to the Indian team, especially because he scores his runs quickly and can run away with the score in a matter of a session.
1.) Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow lit up Notthingham in the second Test against New Zealand. He combined with Ben Stokes as England chased down 299 runs in 50 overs on the final day of the second Test against New Zealand.
It has been a stop-start Test career for Bairstow so far, but he seems to have hit his straps under the McCullum-Stokes combination as he smoked a match-winning 136 from 92 balls - the second-fastest Test hundred for England.
He is already a proven performer for England in limited-overs cricket and if the openers give England a good platform, Bairstow with his strokeplay can well send the Indian bowlers on an extended leather hunt.
We’ve just chased 299 in 50 overs in a Test match on day five 🤯
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