I never expected India to beat England in their home turf. (And oh, I am also not an anti-nationalist.)

(Courtesy: Zee News)

The Indian cricket team looks, as ever, solid and smashing. However, that is only up to the individual level. When you see individuals on the team, everything looks bright and shining. There’s Virat Kohli, there’s KL Rahul, there’s Ravichandran Ashwin, and there’s so many more. All have been performing exceptionally well in the past.

Yet, when looked collectively, the Indian cricket team misses that x-factor. There doesn’t seem to be much of a teamwork between them; none own their responsibilities. Of course, a large part of credit (or loathing) must also go to the England team and playing condition there.

Who will win India vs England test series?

India has lost the second test match of 5-match series against England. And the loss comes quite embarrassing—a loss by an inning and 159 runs. Now, with 3 matches remaining, it’s very unlikely that India can make a comeback. It’s either England’s win or a series draw. My bet is on the former one. (Again, I am not an anti-national!)

(Courtesy: Jansatta)

Playing in England, against some of their in-form players and in their planned playing condition at that, is quite a challenge. At least when you’re playing Test matches. It isn’t just India. Australia lost Ashes in 2015 when playing on English land. South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and more, they all have struggled battling England in their home.

So, there isn’t much of a fuss to make of India’s loss. Sadly, much like the Australian media, the news scene in England is equally notorious when it comes to cricket – perhaps they still believe the sport to be ‘theirs’, even when India ranks #1 test team in the world – with Piers Morgan leading the party from the front.

Also, Indian media isn’t too lackluster either—not even when it comes to bashing its own team. The studio “pundits” and “expert” anchors are already paralleling the latest loss as the worst defeat ever, bashing Indian cricket team from every angle. So, we can’t really expect much from English side but the cruel jokes and humiliation.

This tweet by Charlie Reynolds is already my favorite, “India’s physio has spent more time in the middle than half of their batsmen #ENGvIND”

Kept aside the one-sided victory in the second test, the competition level between England and India is on a whole different level—even off the field. We’re seeing some of the finest test performances from either side. Sadly, too much after the wins and losses, very few would really care to appreciate the matches itself. Pity for the Test format—even when in finest form, the majority do not care about it.

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