I’m backing England to win this test.
Bumrah is rested for this one and the reserve pace bowlers of India in Mukesh Kumar and Akashdeep aren’t really good. Siraj isn’t the smartest bowler around as well even if he does surprise with some great performances.
Would have been another matter had Shami been fit or India still had Umesh Yadav , Ishant Sharma to call upon.
I think it’s important to note that without bazball, England with their current team don’t seem to have too many chances to win. Bazball helped them win some improbable tests and the intent behind that move has to be lauded even if the execution of it at times has been flawed.
Is it an extremely risky move and one which is prone to failures , Yes. But overall , the tactic has helped England win more often than not. The press can’t be flip-flopping and criticizing the style of cricket when there’s an off result. It’s test cricket and India’s one of the toughest frontiers to win in India for any team coming there , let alone a team which is still in transition. No spinners of note , an ageing Jimmy and an injury prone Wood forming the bowling attack. Also Stokes isn’t bowling which reduces his effectiveness as a cricketer a lot.
The bowling really is the suspect to be honest it’s very concerning.
Jimmy should have been phased out a while ago. England haven’t been ruthless enough with their team changes in the bowling department.
He’s still a very good - great bowler but he’s liable to get taken to the cleaners more than the other great bowlers either in this generation or the previous ones.
The toss will prove to be the deciding factor. Win this toss and England will win the test…Bat 4th and I fear another big loss.
These tests are in places I haven’t heard of. I expected them to be in the main cities. 
Mostly. Depends on the wicket that India will roll out. All three of the previous ones have been remarkably good test match wickets.
If India does go in with a more spinning wicket taking into account the fact that they are a key pace bowler short. The equation does manage to change.
Hyderabad is one of the major cities in India. It’s one of the hubs of the IT businesses alongside Bangalore. And having stayed in both the cities for an extended period of time , more likely to be the main IT hub for India in the future.
Not surprised you haven’t heard of Vishakapatnam, Rajkot and now Ranchi. They are B tier cities. One of the reasons they get the matches now is because these cities haven’t received matches in the world cup.
Hyderabad did get matches in the world cup but was one of the few big cities that didn’t get the cash cow India match. Even the cesspits known as Ahmedabad/Lucknow recieved India matches in the group stage and it’s a scandal that Hyderabad didn’t.
Heard of Hyderabad of course but thanks for the heads up on the others. I was in Delhi a few weeks ago and passed the cricket stadium a couple of times and expected at least one to be played there.
I see the 5th is at Dharamshala…another new place for me.
Dharamshala is one very pretty ground though. And one which probably could help produce a good match for the fast bowlers considering the altitude. It’s been one of the regulars.
Most matches are allocated depending on how close the state board is to the BCCI. But I don’t mind more matches at Dharamshala.
Delhi with the smog in winters is a strict NO when it comes to playing cricket there. Not unless you want cricketers to have a recuperating session in the hyperbaric chamber after every session.
Despite the history behind the Ferozeshah Kotla , the ground is small AF and the pitches there have been down right diabolical at times.
Ah yes true, it was very smoggy 
. One day a lot of flights were cancelled.
It reminded me of 1960s Liverpool. That smokey smell and taste…
The Indian govt seems set to make Delhi the major international airlines hub. Wouldn’t be a bad thing normally, but the smog in winters in Delhi is a known issue.
This all roads lead to Delhi centralisation of the Indian govt is fucked.
Most people I know coming to India, do a lay over at UAE / Qatar before boarding the flights to the other major cities. Instead of boarding the flights to Delhi. Especially on the winters. Unless their destination is Delhi , in which case they have my sympathies.
Great food , great history but awful pollution and people.
Bazball is playing out exactly as Brendan promised: There would be spectacular highs like the drawn series against Australia and spectacular troughs like the recent loss. It’s about a state of mind of going into a match without the fear or negativity, knowing that sometimes it will work and sometimes it won’t, but in all cases about creating interesting cricket.
With all due respect to the English fans, it is them who have been the letdowns and predictably have turned on the players, expecting constant Bazball sunshine and rainbows. Now everyone is on their case.
The real test of Bazball is right now: how clear of mind can the English players be to play their own game with a nation on their back and questioning everything they do?
To add to what @JU97ICE says
I’d rather see England continue playing the style of cricket they have been playing so far.
Same goes for any other nation. They have to own their style of cricket. Contrasting methods make for good cricket.
When you have a flawed side (which most teams right now do , one of the ways to get over those flaws is to back your strengths and take the game to the opposition). For England , it’s bazball. For India now , it’s the reliance on their bowling and the fact that their spinners do chip in with some very important runs as well. I suppose that Australia have their strengths too as do NZ
There’s more fun in these matches. If only the rest of the teams start figuring out how to play cricket , then tests become more interesting.
Good bowling by Akashdeep.
This one might not even last two days
It’s good to see that Joe Root has followed my advice and is playing a measured innings…
And he passes 50…
… and 100.
Surely there’s room in a ‘Bazball’ team for someone to play the anchor role. It gives the other players licence to be as attacking as they like, and it’s not as if Root is a slow scorer either.
Masterful from Root, at 112-5 England were staring down the barrel again. Fair play to Foakes and Robinson for showing some grit and sticking around to put on some big partnerships. Robinson to me looks like a far more competent batter than his average would suggest.
Hopefully Root can push England up to at least 350. Wouldn’t fancy batting last on this pitch given what we saw earlier in the day.
It’s what I said last week. You had a guy on 130 last week, let him play the shots that evidently got him there and let yourself dig in.
It’s not really all or nothing. Pitch seems to be getting flatter but at least it’s a target at 300+
Anyhow I think I had the reverse this week as I went back to sleep at 73-3 