WELL, it's been fun, hasn't it? England have spent the past two years playing their swashbuckling brand of aggressive Test cricket, and beating (almost) everyone, rising like a phoenix from, erm, well, the Ashes. After that 4-0 beating down under, something had to change. In came Brendon McCullum, Ben Stokes and a new exciting brand of cricket that you might recognise as BazBall.
New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ireland all suffered at the hands of this revitalised England and only the weather saved Australia from losing the Ashes here last summer.
Well, the party is over now. At 4am tomorrow, England begin the first of a five-Test series against India, in India. It is going to be, for want of a better word, difficult. England are facing off against the titans of world cricket, in their own backyard, and they are going to have to take their medicine.
It is important to add some context to this upcoming series, which figures to be one of the more hostile England have played in some time. Some of you might remember the recent World Cup, also played in India. The script had been written: India in the final, in their home tournament, ready to be crowned world champions in front of an audience of more than one billion people. Except, they got humiliated by Australia. Following a Test series draw in South Africa, this is going to be the first time India take the field in a serious match since that national embarrassment. Someone is going to be made to suffer and it is likely that 'someone' is going to be the England cricket team.
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