KOHLI’S SIDE AIMING TO BE QUICK OUT OF THE BLOCKS
▶ Graham Caygill takes a look at how India’s poor starts in tours of England since 1990 have proved costly
Virat Kohli and India can certainly not be accused of failing to prepare for the five-match Test series with England that starts next week. The India captain had originally planned to play country cricket for Surrey, but was forced to miss out after picking up a neck injury during the Indian Premier League in May.
But India have been in Europe since late June, first playing two Twenty20 matches with Ireland, followed by a T20 and a one-day international series against England, before starting a three-day match against English county side Essex yesterday at Chelmsford.
The aim, clearly, is to get as many players used to English conditions as possible ahead of the first Test at Edgbaston next Wednesday.
When you consider that in 2014, the last time India toured England, they played only two warm-up matches against county sides, a great deal more time has been allowed for players to prepare this time round.
You have to go back to 1986 for the last time India won the opening Test of a series on English soil and Kohli will know that, historically, t he start to the action has usually been important in dictating how the action will go on to unfold over the summer.
Here is a look back at how the first Test of the past six series in England between the two sides have set the tone for the summer.
1990
England captain Graham Gooch pulled apart the India bowling attack at Lord’s as he hit 333 in a first innings score of 653-4 declared in the opening Test of the three-match series that set up a 247-run victory.
India would improve as the series wore on. Sachin Tendulkar made his first hundred in a draw at Old Trafford, and India dominated the third Test at The Oval, making England follow on, before an unbeaten 157 from David Gower saved the hosts and denied India a series-levelling victory.
1996
India again lost a three-match series because of a slow start out of the blocks.
They lost to England by eight wickets at Edgbaston in the first Test where, despite a second innings 122 by Tendulkar, they ended up well beaten.
India shook up their batting line-up for the second Test at Lord’s, giving Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid their debuts and both shone as they hit 131 and 95 in a game that England had to bat out the last day to avoid defeat.
The third Test at Edgbaston was also a draw, to ensure England claimed the series, with the bat dominating as both sides made more than 500 in their first innings.
2002
India were well beaten by 170 runs in the first Test at Lord’s. They were also second best in the second Test at Trent Bridge, trailing by 260 runs after the first innings.
But, Dravid’s 115 in the second innings helped India escape with a draw and this would galvanise them for the rest of the series.
Tendulkar’s 193 led India to victory by an innings and 46 runs in the third Test at Headingley and that proved to be enough to draw the series as the final Test at The Oval was washed out.
2007
For the first since 1986 ,India did not lose the first Test and it set them up for a series win.
England had the better of the first Test at Lord’s, but India’s last pair, MS Dhoni and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, survived five overs before bad light ended play early to allow the tourists to escape with a draw.
India made full use of their fortune as Zaheer Khan took nine for 134 at Trent Bridge as they won the second Test by seven wickets. A first innings score of 664 at The Oval then ensured India of the draw they needed at The Oval to clinch the three-match series 1-0.
2011
An awful series for India started as it would go on with an emphatic loss by 196 runs at Lord’s in the first Test, when an unbeaten double century from Kevin Pietersen had put England in the driving seat.
The tourists looked as if they may be able to save the match, but lost their final five wickets for just 36 runs. India would struggled throughout that summer and would not recover from Lord’s as they went on to be whitewashed 4-0, despite Dravid scoring 461 runs at an average of 57.6.
2014
India actually began this series well, which will give Kohli hope for his squad this time round. They drew the first Test at Trent Bridge, before a7-74 from Ishant Sharma helped dismiss England for 223 at Lord’s in their second innings to secure a 95-run win at Lord’s.
But England hit back and would win the series 3-1 as they would triumph in Southampton, Old Trafford and The Oval. Given the recent history of losing starts from India, 2007 and 2014 apart, it might not be a coincidence that the Test series is starting at Edgbaston on England’s part.
India have never won in Birmingham and winning, or avoiding defeat, at a location England have only lost once at in the past 17 years (to South Africa in 2008) would be a strong statement of intent.