THE GUESSING GAME

Kohli Mum On Playing XI But India Likely To Go With 4 Pacers Against England

- Dwaipayan Datta

It’s been 14 years since India last won a Test series in England. Line-ups have changed, captains have come and gone, but the returns from England have continued to be abysmal even as India have established itself as a strong touring side in other parts of the world.

When the current Indian team came to England about two months ago, they were chasing a dream. It was crushed as Virat Kohli’s boys lost to New Zealand in the World Test Championship final. The team took a break, recharged batteries, and came together again, but the pressure to deliver seems to have mounted ahead of the five-Test series that begins at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Wednesday.

They have been training hard for the last few days, but probably to keep themselves mentally fresh, the team decided not to practise on the eve of the game. “It’s going to be difficult cricket, we know that, but we like to play out of our comfort zones,” Kohli said during an interaction.