ENG vs IND: 5 Players who will be under pressure to perform in upcoming Test Series
England are gearing up to host India in a five-match Test series, starting from August 4. The series holds great significance as it marks the start of the second World Test Championship cycle. Although the Three Lions hold the home advantage, many fans and experts are backing Team India to emerge victoriously in this series. After all, the Virat Kohli-led side has been on a roll in Test cricket lately.
Barring their defeat to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, India haven’t done much wrong in Test matches. On the other hand, England would be under the pump as their last Test assignment saw them suffering a 1-0 defeat against New Zealand at home. Moreover, star all-rounder, Ben Stokes has pulled out of this series citing mental health reasons.
Nevertheless, the English conditions aren’t easy to adapt and the visitors can’t afford to put a foot wrong. Meanwhile, this series is a chance for several under-performing players to get their mojo back. However, if these players extend their lean patch, their place in the national team could well be in danger.
Here’s a look at five players who’ll be under pressure heading into the England vs India Test series.
5) Cheteshwar Pujara
Many fans and experts have been questioning Pujara’s place in the Test team as India’s ‘modern-day wall’ hasn’t done much lately. The 33-year-old hasn’t scored a Test hundred since January 2019 and his performance in the inaugural World Test Championship cycle was below-par. His outing in the WTC final was also dismal as he registered scores of 8 and 13 in two innings. Hence, Pujara must get back in form before it’s too late.
4) Zak Crawley
The young batter has been on a roll in white-ball cricket lately. However, the same can’t be said about his performance in Test matches. In six Tests this year, Crawley has scored mere 123 runs at a dismal average of 10.25. With players like Haseeb Hameed and Dan Lawrence in the wings, Crawley can’t afford to have more failures.
3) Ajinkya Rahane
Many eyes will also be on Ajinkya Rahane’s performance in this series. The Indian vice-captain has endured a poor run since his match-winning ton against Australia in the Boxing-day Test match last year. Having registered scores of 49 and 15 in the WTC final, Rahane performed decently on a challenging track. However, he now needs to deliver consistently.
2) Dominic Sibley
Opener Dominic Sibley will also be under the pump in the upcoming series. The opener has scored mere 299 runs in eight Test matches this year at an average of 21.35. These numbers aren’t impressive by any standards and Sibley must be aware of the fact.
1) Ishant Sharma
Veteran Indian pacer Ishant Sharma has certainly aged like fine wine and a lot of gas is left in his tank. However, the emergence of Mohammed Siraj has increased competition in the side. A section of fans and experts even believe Siraj should be a part of India’s first-choice line-up. Hence, Ishant must bowl some spectacular spells to silence his critics.
