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There are always fireworks when England meet India, and the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy — which gets underway at Headingley on Friday — should be no exception.
Are the Bazballers capable of blitzing their way to victory against a team as talented as India?
Here our Cricket Correspondent LAWRENCE BOOTH gives his verdict on which country boasts the superior XI…
Openers
No opener in Test cricket has scored more than Ben Duckett’s 2,216 runs since his return to the side in late 2022, and his partnership with the wildly inconsistent Zak Crawley is a fascinating study in contrasts: short and tall, left and right, cutter and driver.
But while Duckett is now a fixture, Crawley remains under scrutiny after a nightmare tour of New Zealand.
India’s KL Rahul has an average to match his age — 33 — but that shouldn’t distract from his track record overseas, including 110 at Sydney a decade ago, 149 at the Oval in 2018 and 129 at Lord’s in 2021.
England take on India in a blockbuster Test series this summer, but who stacks up better?
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have a fascinating partnership and the latter is now a fixture
But England know the danger Indian superstar Yashasvi Jaiswal will pose at the top of the order
England know all about the terrifying gifts of Yashasvi Jaiswal, a decade Rahul’s junior, after his successive double-centuries against them in India early last year. In English conditions, though, he is unproven.
England 7/10
India 7
Middle order
There can be no concern about Joe Root and Harry Brook, who put on 454 at Multan over the winter and will resume their middle-order alliance on home turf at Headingley.
But, with Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings, the pressure on Ollie Pope will be intense. It’s not ideal England’s No 3 and vice-captain is playing for his career after 56 Tests.
India’s Shubman Gill has two burdens to shoulder: the captaincy and the absence of retired duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. And he’ll have to improve on his career average of 35 from a new position of No 4.
Sai Sudharsan may be thrown in for a Test debut at No 3, while 33-year-old Karun Nair — a long-ago triple-hundred against England on his c.v. — could return for his first Test in eight years. They’re all talented players, but it feels fragile.
England 8
India 6.5
Ollie Pope remains under pressure for his spot despite scoring 171 vs Zimbabwe last month
Karun Nair is one of several talented players who could make up India's middle order
All-rounder
Ben Stokes seems to have settled on his role with the ball: short, sharp spells to ensure his body survives 10 Tests against India and Australia.
But he could do with runs. The England captain has just five fifties in 24 innings since the start of 2024, and an average of 27. With Kohli absent, Stokes becomes the series’ undisputed alpha male.
India’s Ravindra Jadeja is one of Test cricket’s most unsung all-rounders, but his record falls away in England, where he averages 29 with the bat and 43 with his left-arm spin.
India may also find room for one of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who scored a memorable century from No 8 at Melbourne over the winter, and Shardul Thakur, who swung the Oval Test his side’s way in 2021 with a pair of half-centuries down the order.
England 8
India 7
Ben Stokes is the undisputed alpha male of the series but the all-rounder needs some runs
Wicketkeeper
After enjoying his first year as a Test cricketer against West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Jamie Smith now embarks on the serious stuff.
His counter-attacks from No 7 could become a feature of the series, especially if India’s seamers have been made to work hard.
Rishabh Pant’s recovery from the car crash that nearly killed him in December 2022 is one of cricket’s most heartwarming stories. But he remains one of the most dangerous Test hitters in the world, and can turn a game for India in a session.
Like Smith, he doesn’t miss much behind the stumps.
England 7
India 7
India vice-captain Rishabh Pant remains one of the most dangerous Test hitters in the world
Spinners
The noise around Shoaib Bashir has quietened a little after he took nine wickets against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, but England’s experiment with an inexperienced 21-year-old off-spinner never feels more than a game or two away from coming unstuck.
Jadeja should offer the control Bashir lacks, but the question is whether India can also squeeze in the left-arm wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav, who is used sparingly at Test level but has still picked up 56 wickets at 22, including 19 against England at home two winters ago.
His presence in these conditions may be seen as a luxury. Washington Sundar is on stand-by with his off-breaks.
England 6
India 7
Shoaib Bashir impressed against Zimbabwe but he may still come under pressure this summer
Seamers
Chris Woakes may be 36, but his home record is formidable: 137 Test wickets at 21.
Brydon Carse had a first winter to remember in Pakistan and New Zealand, and Josh Tongue has a point to prove after a mixed return to Test cricket against Zimbabwe. Stokes will be able to relieve the frontliners for 45 minutes here and there.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah is an all-time great, and could win a Test or two by himself. He will be backed up by the feisty but occasionally loose Mohammed Siraj, and possibly Prasidh Krishna, who bowled well at Sydney in January and may keep out left-armer Arshdeep Singh.
Whether India go in with three or four seamers depends on the identity of their all-rounder.
England 7.5
India 7.5
Chris Woakes remains as crucial as ever to this English side despite now being 36-years-old
Totals
England 43.5
India 42
