5 reasons why India could win the Test series against England

The sun is out in the hottest month of the year, as it shines on the lush green grass, giving it a beautiful shade of yellow. It is difficult to differentiate between the pitch and the grassy infield. A tall fast bowler stands on top of his mark, licking his lips, as he prepares to hurl the ball at the batsman.

The spectators have settled in with their beers in hand, hoping for an eventful day of test cricket. This is probably what a typical test match day in the English summer looks like. As the India-England Test series nears, a lot of speculations are being made on as to who will turn out to be the better of the two sides.

India's record in England hasn't been the best in recent years. They lost the series both in 2011 as well as 2014. Though 2014 wasn't as humiliating as the 2011 whitewash, a defeat is a defeat. But India had their sets of takeaways from 2014.

This series promises to be a lot more competitive than the past two series. With both teams having their sets of pluses and minuses, it is bound to be a very interesting series.

But here are 5 reasons why I think Kohli and co. have the upper edge this time around.

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Change in dynamics

There has been a paradigm shift in the way things work in the team after the transfer of power from Dhoni to Kohli. There is a vast difference in the captaincy method of the two, the latter, being much more aggressive with attacking fields settings and voracious use of aggressive fast bowling, while Dhoni's art lies in foxing the batsman to give his wicket away.

Another salient feature of Kohli's reign has been the heavy influence of wrist spinners. All this has contributed to the team's recent successes in Test matches. Also, the introduction of the yo-yo test has helped Kohli and Co. raise the bar considerably as far as fitness is concerned. These things, small as they might seem, could have a huge role to play and might just change India's fortunes in England.

Pace battery

South Africa v India - 3rd Test Day 3

The current pace attack is probably the best and the most complete that India has ever had. Yes, Umesh, Bhuvi and Shami have been in the fray for some time now, but they were not the seasoned fast bowlers that they are now.

Under Kohli, they have evolved into genuine wicket-taking options upfront. Especially Umesh and Bhuvi. Umesh Yadav of 2014 was extremely inaccurate, unsure of himself, trying too many things and easy to negotiate. But Umesh Yadav of 2018 is much surer of himself, bowls with pace and accuracy, sticks to his plans and is a constant threat.

Bhuvneshwar is at his swinging best, with his pace kicked up a notch. He is bound to trouble the Englishmen with his swing paired with an extra yard of pace. It is a much threatening attack now than it was in 2014.

And the addition of Bumrah and Pandya has added teeth to it. Bumrah, with his skiddy action and metronomic accuracy, brings a unique element to the table. Hardik Pandya too can trouble the batsman with pace and bounce. All in all, it is a well-rounded attack, capable of tormenting the opposition with swing, pace, bounce, and accuracy.

Experience

Cricket - Investec Test Series - First Test - England v India - Day Three - Trent Bridge

Experience always plays a huge role when it comes to playing in England. Getting used to the conditions is difficult. And that is exactly why players like Ishant and Pujara opt for County stints. And here is an astonishing fact with regard to experience.

Just four players from the 2011 series were part of the 2014 squad whereas at least eleven players from the 2014 squad, are most likely to make the squad for the coming series. With so many experienced players in the fray, India has a good shot at redemption this time around.

Kohli, the batsman

Anderson troubled Kohli with his probing line and swing. Let's see if Kohli can turn the tables this time

Virat Kohli's numbers in England so far are terrible.134 runs in 10 innings. Zero hundreds, zero fifties. But as John Powell famously said, "If you knew me yesterday, please do not think that it is the same person that you are meeting today."

And how genuine his statement is in today's world. Kohli has improved by leaps and bounds since 2014. Since then, he has amassed, in 55 innings, a whopping 3200 runs with an average of 61. This also includes 6 double centuries in the last two years.

If his recent form is anything to go by, England will be having a tough time trying to take him. It'll be exciting to see him stand up against England's coveted fast bowling duo of Anderson and Broad. Hopefully, he'll give them a run for their money this time around.

Team balance

England & India Net Sessions

This squad has struck just the right balance in recent times which was not the case in 2014.

The opening combination is settled, Saha has filled in Dhoni's boots as far as wicket keeping is concerned, the pace attack is well rounded, India's long search for a genuine fast bowling all-rounder seems to have come to an end, with Pandya coming in, their captain and star batsman is in form, and of course they have the X-factor in Kuldeep Yadav, who, if he gets to play, can be the tipping point between the two sides.

India have all the odds stacked in their favour at this point. Now it remains to be seen whether they can convert their potential into a series-winning effort as they lock horns with the Englishmen.