Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

ENG vs IND 1st Test Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs IND 1st Test Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs India 1st Test Key Players | Trent Bridge Pitch Report

Amid the plethora of white-ball cricket, preparations for big T20 tournaments, and the glitz and glamour of The Hundred, Test cricket makes a return. The game’s oldest and most traditional format greets us with another five-match series between two sides looking to kickstart the new World Test Championship cycle in positive fashion.

But, one has to wonder what mindset England are in ahead of their quest to overturn a 3-1 defeat to the same opponents earlier in the year. Many of their players are on a diet of white-ball cricket in recent times, and the absence of Ben Stokes due to a mental health break further increases the fragility of the English batting lineup. Only Joe Root averages above 40 in this lineup, which screams out to the other batsmen to lift their Test games.

So, England’s chances in this series will understandably lie in how well their bowlers perform. The England attack possesses incredible experience, ability and knowledge of home conditions. If they are on song, then it will go a long way to reducing the pressure on a fragile batting unit.

For India, this is an opportunity to put a decade of hurt in England behind them. They have won just two of 14 Tests in the country since 2011, with 11 defeats. So, despite England’s shortcomings, India have some mental scars of their own to overcome and will be looking to use recent success – especially the great victory in Australia – as motivation to perform well here. Virat Kohli must lead the way with the bat and others must follow, as the bowling attack certainly has the ability to trouble England’s troublesome top six.

However, whether India can score enough runs themselves, as well as limit England’s lower order, will be interesting to see. Bring on the action.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

England:

• Joe Root undoubtedly has a key role to play. The England skipper was enjoying a fine 2021 in Tests, with the most runs of any player this year (891 runs, avg. 55.68).
• Root also has a terrific record against India in England. In 10 home Tests vs India, Root has struck 837 runs at an average of 59.78, with three hundreds and four fifties. Also, Root averages 62.00 in five Tests at Trent Bridge (434 runs), which includes two centuries.
• Rory Burns has a key role to play. His battle against Ashwin is certainly one to watch. Burns looked quite impressive in England’s Test series against New Zealand earlier this summer, with 238 runs at 59.50.
• Jos Buttler has enjoyed past success against India at home. Buttler’s 549 runs come at a fine average of 45.75, with four fifties and a century in eight Tests. His century was a score of 106 against India on this ground in 2018.
• Watch out for Sam Curran. He was the man who turned numerous Tests on their head in 2018, and finished as England’s player of the series (272 runs, avg. 38.85 and 11 wickets, avg. 23.54). Ollie Robinson is a player who can have a similar impact with bat and ball (42 and seven wickets on debut vs New Zealand earlier this year).
• James Anderson (84 wickets, avg. 23.66) and Stuart Broad (60 wickets, avg. 20.96) enjoy bowling against India in England. Also, both bowlers have outstanding records at Trent Bridge. Anderson has 64 wickets at 19.62, while Broad has 40 scalps at 22.20.

India:

• Virat Kohli must lead the way for India with the bat. The Indian skipper was far and away the leading run-scorer in 2018, with 593 runs at a superb average of 59.30. His battle with James Anderson will surely make for riveting viewing once again.
• Plus, Kohli was outstanding on this ground in 2018, with scores of 97 and 103 to win player of the match in India’s victory.
• KL Rahul is set to open for India. He scored a Test century in England in 2018, and is coming off some fine form in the leadup to the series. He and Rohit Sharma, who fought hard in the WTC Final, will be key to India’s hopes.
• Ajinkya Rahane (29.26) and Cheteshwar Pujara (29.41) both average under 30 in England. For India to succeed, they need these two to improve on those numbers. Rahane scored 81 and 29 on this ground in 2018.
• The fearless Rishabh Pant is one to watch. He has scored two centuries and two half-centuries in seven Tests vs England (432 runs, avg. 39.27, SR 75.39). This includes a century in England, back in 2018.
• Ishant Sharma has the most wickets of any India bowler in England (43, avg. 33.90), but will be looking to improve on his numbers at Trent Bridge (12 wickets, avg. 37.41). Jasprit Bumrah has 14 wickets in three Tests against England in England (avg. 25.92), including 5/85 on this ground in 2018.
• R Ashwin is like a fine wine. He continues to get better with age. The off-spinner was superb in Australia, and looked threatening in the WTC Final. He will be looking to build on his 18 wickets in England at a current average of 28.11.

Stats and Facts

• England have won 11 out of 14 Tests vs India at home since the start of 2011.
• Mohammed Shami needs to perform with Siraj fighting for a spot in the XI. Shami averages 47.04 with the ball in eight Tests in England.
• James Anderson needs three wickets to go past Anil Kumble as the third-highest Test wicket-taker of all-time.
• India have lost the first Test of a series in each of their last four campaigns (including the WTC Final).

Possible Playing 11

Ollie Pope has been ruled out, so Jonny Bairstow is set to slot in at five.

England: 1. Rory Burns, 2. Dom Sibley, 3. Zak Crawley, 4. Joe Root (c), 5. Jonny Bairstow, 6. Jos Buttler (wk), 7. Sam Curran, 8. Ollie Robinson, 9. Stuart Broad, 10. Jack Leach, 11. James Anderson

For India, they have a decision to make on whether to play Shardul Thakur as a bowling all-rounder. It will ultimately depend on conditions. Visit our dedicated article for more information on India’s possible playing XI.

India: 1. Rohit Sharma, 2. KL Rahul, 3. Cheteshwar Pujara, 4. Virat Kohli (c), 5. Ajinkya Rahane, 6. Rishabh Pant (wk), 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. R Ashwin, 9. Ishant Sharma, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Jasprit Bumrah

Trent Bridge Nottingham Pitch Report and Weather

On the eve of the match, the pitch looked quite green. This may tempt either captain to bowl first, but the surface is expected to dry out given the warm conditions. The average first innings score in the last five Tests here is 279.2, which includes Australia’s infamous 60 all-out in 2015.

Showers are expected to play a role throughout the Test, but hopefully there shouldn’t be too many major delays.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

A very difficult match to predict given England’s worries and India’s trend of losing the first match of a series. For that reason, as well as England’s home ground advantage, England might win this in a close match.