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'There is only one match left now': Batting legend explains why he expects India to do well in England Test
India will be looking to seal a first Test series win in England since 2007 when the fifth Test starts on July 1.
A first Test series win since 2007 in England is what India will be aiming for when the postponed fifth match of the series starts on Friday. India lead the series 2-1, with the final Test being postponed last year due to an outbreak of Covid-19 cases within the visitors' camp.
India's tour of England in 2021 had effectively started with the inaugural World Test Championship final against New Zealand. While a large chunk of the match was washed out, India were hardly a match for the Kiwis, who won the Test by eight wickets. Virat Kohli's men were a different beast during the following series against England, taking a 2-1 lead with some aggressive cricket.
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar feels that India are similarly prepared for the fifth Test this time, unlike what was the case before the WTC final, as they arrived in England a couple of weeks before the start of the match and played a warm-up game as well.
“In the last tour, India did not play any warm-up matches before they played that first Test. If you tour countries like England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies you have to play some games before you play the Tests to get acclimatised,” Vengsarkar told a select group of reporters.
“That is why we lost that first game. But now they have played a warm-up match and so I expect them to do well. They also know that there is only one match left now. If they win that, they win the series straightaway,” he said.
A lot has changed for both teams, with both India and England operating under new head coaches and captains. India were led by coach Ravi Shastri and captain Kohli last year whereas those positions have been taken up by Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma respectively. Meanwhile, England seem to have taken an ultra-aggressive batting approach under new captain Ben Stokes and new coach Brendon McCullum.
They recently did a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand in a series that was characterised by England often playing at run rates one would find in limited overs matches. Batter Jonny Bairstow scored 394 runs at a strike rate of a whopping 120.12. However, Vengsarkar said that just reliance on aggressive batting may not always pay dividends.
“Test matches are a five-day affair and the T20s are different completely. You can't do the same kind of batting in both unless you have to win the match in the end, which England did in the last Test match. But that is very rare, every session in a Test match is important. You have to plan things in Test cricket, skills matter a lot. Mental toughness also matters,” he said.
The fifth Test will be played at Edgbaston and will be followed by three T20Is and as many ODIs that will be played between the two teams.
