Rahul Dravid
In their 18 visits to England, India have managed just three Test series win - 1971 (1-0), 1986 (2-0) and 2007 (1-0) - and Rahul Dravid was the last Indian captain to lead the side to a historic win. And the former skipper feels that the impending tour of England, scheduled for August-September for a five-match series, will be a good chance for the Indian side to grab a fourth series win, predicting a 3-2 scoreline in favour of Virat Kohli's men.
"I really do think India have a very good chance this time," Dravid said in a webinar organised by Live Aid India. "There's no question about their [England's] bowling. Whatever bowling attack England put on the park, especially their seam-bowling attack, is going to be fantastic. They have a lot of players to pick and choose from and that's going to be terrific.
"But if you look at their top six or top seven, you really think of one great batsman, a world-class batsman who is Joe Root. Obviously, Ben Stokes is another one, who is a good allrounder, but for some reason [R] Ashwin seems to do well against him. And that should be an interesting contest. I know he's done well against him [Stokes] in India, but it'll still be an interesting subplot to the series.
"But I just think India will be well-prepared, have the confidence from Australia, there's lot of belief in the squad. A couple of players have been to England a few times, there's a lot of experience in the batting order this time around, so this is probably our best chance, maybe say 3-2 to India."
Dravid based his opinion on the fact that the Indian team will get a longer time to acclimatise to the English conditions. The team will leave for June 2 owing to the World Test Championship final which will be played in Southampton against New Zealand from June 18. This will be followed by intra-squad games and eventually the first Test in Nottingham on August 14.
"I think India will play really well in England this time," Dravid said. "It's a great opportunity we've got. After the WTC final, they're going to be in England for a whole month before the Test series starts. I don't think any team has had that kind of time to prepare for a Test series as India will have this time, so that surely should be a great advantage.
"In England, if there's one thing you've always got to respect, it's the conditions. It's slightly different from say an Australia or India. To some extent you sort of get the feeling [as batsmen] that you're never set. Even if you're set and you get a good start, batting on 30, 40, 50, things can change very quickly, the weather can change, the ball can swing even after it's 40-50 overs old.
"A lot of times in India or even in Australia, the Kookaburra can become soft, it's a lot easier to bat after 40-50 overs. That's not necessarily the case with the Dukes ball. So, it is a case of really being able to concentrate right through the innings and realising that even if you're set, you've got to get a partnership going. Things can change very quickly, so the one piece of advice is when you're set, value your wicket, play one ball at a time and look to take the game deep. If we put runs on the board, we'll be competitive."
India had lost to England in their last visit, in 2018, by a 1-4 margin, which remains their two overseas blips in the last three years, the other being in New Zealand last year.
