This article will talk about the probable XIs for both teams and continue with the Dream11 predictions and the winning fantasy team for the 1st Test between England and India that is scheduled to start on the 4th of August 2021.
The much-awaited Test series between the hosts England and India will commence on Wednesday at Trent Bridge. This high-profile set of 5 matches will act as the curtain-raiser of the 2nd edition of the World Test Championships.
The hosts’ England is on the back of a home Test series defeat at the hands of New Zealand. The Kiwis outclassed the Joe Root-led side by 1-0 in June. So their form in Test cricket has been different from that of limited-overs cricket. The three lions were further jolted with the news of the unavailability of Ben Stokes who has taken an indefinite break from cricket.
India on the other hand is also heavily hit by injuries even before the start of the series. Opener Shubman Gill was ruled out of the tour with a shin injury, while all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacer Avesh Khan got injured in the tour game. Just 2 days before the start of the game, Mayank Agarwal suffered and is set to miss the 1st Test.
India’s last 3 tours of England have ended on a disappointing note. They lost by a margin of 4-0 in 2011, 3-1 in 2014, and 4-1 in 2018. The Kohli-led Indian team lost the WTC Final against New Zealand at Southampton recently, so the visitors don’t have fond memories going into the series.
Match Details
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Pitch and Weather: The surface is likely to assist the pacers initially and gradually gets better to bat on. But the tests here are fairly high-scoring and helps stroke-play. It may also aid the spinners as the game proceeds. The weather is expected to be cloudy throughout and rain could play a role in some.
Date and Time: August 4, 2021, 11.00 AM Local, 3.30 PM IST
Probable Playing XIs
England will be playing with a relatively inexperienced team and with the absence of Ben Stokes, their middle-order is even more depleted. Also, the talented Ollie Pope misses out due to an injury and Joe Root will be the glue that holds the batting order together in the series. However, England’s bowling attack is as strong as ever with James Anderson and Stuart Broad expected to lead the attack. The likes of Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood will play a role with the ball in the series.
India will most likely retain almost all the players that were part of the WTC Final against New Zealand. 2 of the openers Shubman Gill, and Mayank Agarwal are not available for the game. This means KL Rahul will don the role of an opener along with Rohit Sharma or if the team does go out of the box, they might open with Hanuma Vihari or the uncapped Abhimanyu Easwaran.
England: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley/ Haseeb Hameed, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Dan Lawrence/Zak Crawley, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami
Match Prediction
England will start as the favorites to win the opening match of the series. Even though India has a better record at this venue, England playing at home will be a formidable side to beat.
Fantasy Tips
Batsman: The skippers of both sides Virat Kohli and Joe Root are 2 of the best batsmen in world cricket. They will walk into any XI and they can be picked in your fantasy team as well. England’s opener Rory Burns was in fantastic form in the Test series against New Zealand and shall be selected.
Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant is the most in-form batsman in the Indian line-up and is an automatic pick in the fantasy XI. Jos Buttler has a great record vs India in Tests, so he can be picked.
All-rounders: Sam Curran can be selected as the all-rounder of the side after his successful series against India in 2018. The all-rounder from India can be Ravindra Jadeja.
Bowlers: The duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad can be picked. They have picked loads of wickets at this venue. And along with them, the Indian pacers Mohammad Shami are Ishant Sharma my favorite fantasy picks in Test cricket.
Captaincy Choices
Fantasy Team: Rory Burns, Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Rishabh Pant, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Stuart Broad, Ishant Sharma, James Anderson
Captain: Joe Root
The England captain is the leading run-getter this year in Test cricket. He is also prolific against India in this format of the game.
Vice-Captain: Sam Curran
Like Root, Curran also enjoys playing against the Indian team in red-ball cricket. He was the man of the series in the last tour.
Dream11 Team
