England head to India looking to send out a statement

England have arrived in India ahead of arguably their toughest series on the calendar. But they go into it on the back of a positive outcome against Sri Lanka just a couple of weeks ago. Joe Root’s side will take on the Indians in a four-match Test series, before five T20’s and three ODI’s against the hosts.

There are 17 more Test Matches in store for Root’s men in what looks to be one of the most taxing years in living memory, which all ends with an Ashes series down under against old rivals Australia.

This will be the first international cricket to be played in India since the Coronavirus pandemic began in March, with England’s most recent visit to the country coming back in 2016-17, where they were well beaten 4-0 in Alistair Cook’s last match as captain.

India performed well in Australia, despite several key players being out, they secured a series victory on the final day at the Gabba which has always been a tough place for any side to win at.

India’s series-clinching win over Australia was a massive moment in Test cricket – but where do India’s Gabba heroics rank in history? That’s the question we bounce around on this week’s Stumped https://t.co/kjxzolraZF #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/U5IdYZHldi

— BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice) January 25, 2021

There have been 60 meetings between the two sides in India, with the Asian country holding the far better record on home soil. They have won 19 times while England have been victorious on 13 occasions.

India are on a run of 12 consecutive home victories and have lost just once in the previous decade on their own territory, that was against England in 2013.

India have also lost just one of their last 27 Test Matches in their own backyard, so this will be a tough challenge for England. But with their squad depth getting stronger, you would say they have good as a chance as anyone to claim victory in South-East Asia, with the first couple of matches taking place in Chennai.

India skipper Virat Kolhi is set to return to lead the side after leaving the Australian tour on paternity leave. His record against England is very ominous, having already scored 1570 runs in just 19 matches at an average just shy of 50.

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His opposite number, Root also boasts a strong record against India, 1,421 runs to date in just 16 Tests at an average of 56.84 and he will once more be a key factor if England are to have any success in this series.

With the ball, James Anderson is England’s all time leading wicket taker against India, having picked up 110 wickets at an average of 25.98 and will be a vital player in this series having been rested in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Both sides have named their squads for the opening two matches of the series and can be seen below.

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur.