IND vs ENG: Predicting Winner of India vs England Test Series: England’s hopes for resurgence in the ongoing India vs England 1st test in Hyderabad got a boost after Ollie Pope notched up an unbeaten score of 148 at the stumps on day three. The fascinating day of play gave England a fitting chance to have a fighting total up on the scoreboard and challenge Team India in their backyard.
After England was bundled out for 246 runs in the first innings, Team India culminated 436 runs and led the test match by 190 runs. The response to India’s 190-run lead has been commendable from the Englishmen, who have so far scored 397 runs in the first session of day 4 of the test.
Ollie Pope is still unbeaten in the middle, playing at a score of 187 runs, while debutant Tom Heartly is at the other end unbeaten at 22 runs. The visitors have managed to pull a lead of 207 runs, which has given them good hopes for a fightback in the fourth innings.
Coming to India and having a go at the Indians in the test matches hasn’t been a piece of cake for anyone. Team India has managed to remain unbeaten in the test series since 2012.
Former Indian captain and renowned commentator, Sourav Ganguly believes England had a good chance of putting Team India on the backfoot after they won the toss and opted to bat first. However, England couldn’t produce a valiant batting partnership against the Indian bowlers, which saw them getting restricted to the score of 246 runs in the first innings.
IND vs ENG Test: Predicting Winner of India vs England Test Series
“India will win the series, the matter is whether they will win it 4-0 or 5-0. Every Test will be decisive,” said Sourav Ganguly.
“England could have won this Test match had they batted well. One cannot win against India by making 230 or 240 runs on Indian soil. Had they made 350 or 400, they could have beaten India, but they weren’t able to do that. It’s a tough series for England. Any team other than the Australia of that era could not create any impact here,” he said
He further talked about the scope of the Bazball style of play and its utility in Indian conditions. Due to its fast nature, Bazball, according to Ganguly, will fail in India. The spin-friendly conditions do not complement that specific style of play, he said.
The five-game India vs England test series began on January 25 in Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The action will shift to Vishakhapatnam for the second game of the series, starting on February 02. The third and fourth fixtures will be held in Rajot and Ranchi respectively. The final game of the series will be hosted in Dharmshala, Himachal Pradesh, starting March 07.
Below is the detailed schedule for the India vs England test series:
| Date | Match | Time (IST) | Venue |
| 25th – 29th January | IND vs ENG 1st Test | 09:30 AM | Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad |
| 2nd – 6th February | IND vs ENG 2nd Test | 09:30 AM | VDCA Cricket Stadium, Vizag |
| 15th – 19th February | IND vs ENG 3rd Test | 09:30 AM | Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot |
| 23rd – 27th February | IND vs ENG 4th Test | 09:30 AM | JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi |
| 7th – 11th March | IND vs ENG 5th Test | 09:30 AM | HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala |