February 04, 2021 00:02 IST
Updated:
February 04, 2021 00:02 IST
Updated:
February 04, 2021 00:26 IST
India and England are fighting for a place in the final of the World Test Championship
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India and England are fighting for a place in the final of the World Test Championship
A rivalry going back to 1932 will get a fresh chapter as India and England gear up to play the first Test at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium from Friday. The first game of a four-match series would eventually pave the way for the frenzied thrills of five Twenty20Is and three ODIs in a long tour that will conclude on March 28. Besides the angst caused by essential COVID-19 protocols, the bio-bubble and the need to play the first contest behind closed doors, there is a lot at stake for the teams. Australia’s postponement of its tour to South Africa, pitch-forked New Zealand to the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June. India and England will now tussle for a berth in the summit-clash. India has to secure this series and win a minimum of two Tests and for England, Joe Root’s men have to triumph in three matches. Fresh from its stunning 2-1 Test series triumph in Australia, and bolstered with the return of regular skipper Virat Kohli and key players such as R. Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya, India holds the edge. That a second-string outfit under the unflappable Ajinkya Rahane, upset the more fancied Aussies at Brisbane will hold the Indians in good stead especially in their backyard replete with the tales of spin and other turns.