Familiar rivals in unfamiliar territory: India v England series preview

We preview the upcoming India v England Test series which comes on the back of an epic series win for India in Australia, and a very impressive win for England in Sri Lanka. While the teams prepare for fresh challenges in Chennai and Ahmedabad, they still have to contend with bio-bubbles, quarantines, injuries, and player rotation.

Talking Points

• Context of the India-England rivalry over the years


• The difference between perception of England's performances in India vs their relatively impressive record


• Covid impact on the series - bubbles, scheduling, grounds, player fitness


• Unknowns around the pitches. Just two Tests in Chennai in the last decade. Revamped Motera.


• England's choice to rotate and rest players for a key series - what message does it convey and how could it affect the quality of their cricket?


• How much should one read into England's 2-0 win in Sri Lanka?


• How hard will it be for for India - both physically and mentally - to move on from such an epic series win in Australia?


• Ashwin's fitness concerns, and England largely finding a way to tackle him home and away


• How much would India miss Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja?


• Possible team combinations for both teams


• Would the standings in the World Test Championship have a say?


• Predictions

Participants:

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan (@sidvee)

Arj (@Cricvestigate)

Mahesh Sethuraman (@cornerd)

Related:

The Allrounders - 81allout podcast

Chepauk's accidental curator - Nagraj Gollapudi - ESPNcricinfo

How Joe Root's risk-free approach kickstarted the biggest year of his career - Tim Wigmore - The Telegraph

Likeable England face formidable India - Sky Sports podcast