England v India: Their Last Five Head To Heads

Looking ahead to the England v India Test series next summer, there’s a lot of reason for optimism. Ben Stokes’ England side has only lost four home Test matches out of the 19 played since Brendon McCullum was appointed head coach in 2022. This was a very strong record that England will be looking to protect against an Indian side who were runaway winners of the last Test series between the two teams in India, with the series finishing with a resounding 4-1 scoreline in favour of the hosts.

England 

The last match against India in English conditions was quite a different story, as a bouncing Edgbaston watched as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow centuries helped England to cruise home to a resounding seven wicket victory, a crowning moment in a summer when England’s entire cricketing culture had been shaken up and changed dramatically for the better.

A wider view of previous Test series against India provides an even better reading for England, given that India is without a series win in England since 2007, that win being their sole victory in England in the last 38 years.

England have dominated Test series against India in England, mostly in part due to the favourable English overcast conditions and wickets that are extremely receptive to swing bowling have allowed English bowling attacks to thrive and always give England a good chance of winning Tests, even when the batting has been subpar over the years.

India

Indian bowlers have struggled over the years, as such conditions are so far removed from the flat wickets that Indian spinners enjoy in the subcontinent, hence the theme that has developed for the last half dozen Test series being that each team is dominant in their own conditions, finding it difficult away from home.

Looking at the Indian team, they continue to be one of the best teams in world cricket across all three formats of the game, as a country with a population of 1.4 billion people, they have never struggled to generate talent and create winning teams. However, they are not the same dominant force that they were, during the 2010s it got to the stage that losing a game was quite a shocking event, as they went through multiple years of not losing a single Test match.

This being said, whilst much of their Test side is aging, they still have world class players that will be a real threat to the proud English record against India in England. Established players such as captain Rohit Sharma, and global superstar Virat Kohli who boast Test averages of 45.46 and 49.76 with the bat respectively will most definitely be two players to watch, as the Indian batting lineup will look to lean on their experience as they face up to a quick and skilful English bowling attack.

With regards to their bowling attack, the Indian team has been experimenting with multiple different fast bowlers over the last couple years. They have stayed consistent is their spin attack, led by Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, two veterans that are vital to India’s success with both bat and ball.

Despite the fact both of these spinners have less of a role to play in English conditions, the pair will still have a drastic impact.

2024 results

It has certainly been a mixed year for the England Test side, whilst the results have been strong, winning five matches from six games, it potentially hasn’t been the most challenging Test series that this English side will play. Their opponents this summer were the West Indies and Sri Lanka who both played well in patches and tested this England side, but aside from a famous Sri Lankan win in the final Test, it was a routine summer for England. They simply weren’t tested enough and were regularly winning Tests inside four days.

So, whilst these signs are promising, these Test Matches may not have been difficult enough to effectively prepare for five Test series against India next summer.

Future proofing the team

On the other hand, what these series against an inferior opposition has provided is the chance for Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes to look to the future and test young talent. The introduction of Jamie Smith at wicketkeeper being a prime example, who has been a revelation in this Test side, averaging 48.70 in 6 matches. This has also contained a maiden Test century and three fifties, providing crucial runs in the lower order and giving stability to England with the wicketkeeping gloves, something that’s been lacking.

Stokes’ injury before the Sri Lanka Test series has given other players the chance to step up. Ollie Pope has been given the opportunity to lead the side and responded with an impressive century in the third test at The Kia Oval. Joe Root has also risen to the occasion this summer, and has been in sparkling form with the bat, with twin hundreds in the second Test at Lords against Sri Lanka and consistent runs in the West Indies series.

From a bowling perspective there’s much to look forward to. The highly anticipated return of Jofra Archer to the squad looks imminent as he continues to increase his playing time in the ongoing white ball series against Australia. The news that pace bowler Mark Wood is projected to have recovered from his elbow injury by the new year points towards a promising bowling attack with real pace.

It will be interesting to see how England perform in their upcoming series against Pakistan and New Zealand, which will be beneficial preparation, playing against top sides in unfriendly conditions to set them in good stead to be ready for the first Test of the English summer at Headingley. 

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