After a break of a couple of months, England return to international action with a test series against India. Many of the players over the past couple of weeks have been involved in the highly enjoyable Hundred, but test match focus will be required for the England players lining up for the first test on Wednesday at Trent Bridge.
England vs India First Test Preview
England will be looking to continue their impressive home record against India in test matches, as they have come out on top in each of the last three visits of India. The most recent win that England achieved against India came three years ago in 2018, while India are yet to beat England in a test involving four or more matches away from home.
However, the first test comes at a good time for India, as England will be without many of the stars that have made them one of the most impressive test sides. Ben Stokes announced that he would be taking a break from the sport just last week, while Jofra Archer is still missing through injury. Chris Woakes will also be unavailable for England for the test against India.
England will be hoping to get back to winning ways in test cricket, as they were beaten by New Zealand in their last series in this format. The first game of that series ended without a result as a rain delay cut short England’s chase. At the time, they were going well and were 170/3 in their second innings. Dom Sibley scored 60 from 207 runs, while Joe Root also scored 40. However, it was to be New Zealand that came out on top in the second, and final test match, as they won by eight wickets.
They scored 388 in their first innings, which was more than 80 more than England managed. The second innings was a disaster for England, as they could score just 122. Mark Wood scored 29 of the runs, while Ollie Pope managed 23. That meant New Zealand needed just 41 to claim the win; something that they managed losing just two wickets.
India will be returning to test cricket for the first time since March. They have tasted success against England already this year, as they won that test series 3-1. After England won the first match, India went on to win the remaining three.
They dominated throughout that series, winning the second match by 317 runs, before claiming victory by ten wickets and then with an innings to spare in the final two games. Virat Kohli endured a quieter outing in that fourth and final test, but he will be looking for history in the first test against England, as he is just 125 runs away from the 2,300 runs in international cricket.
England vs India First Test Prediction
The betting markets with BetXchange show how evenly matched these two nations are. England are currently 17/10, while India are 29/10 to win the first test. England’s record against India is very impressive, but India have a good record at Trent Bridge. They have avoided defeat on three occasions in the last four matches played at the stadium, and for that reason, we give them the advantage in the first test.
