India vs England 2022: How things have changed for India and England since the unfinished tour from last year | Cricket News – Times of India

In normal circumstances, by the time the fifth Test of a close series between two teams comes around, an air of familiarity envelopes everyone, including followers of bothteams. However, the winds of change have blown so hard since the fifth Test of the 2021 season at Old Trafford, Manchester, in September, got pushed to 2022 July in Edgbaston, Birmingham, that there is very little that is familiar.
Both India and England have a new captain. Both have a new coach. Both teams have lost their vice-captain (Jos Buttler for England, Ajinkya Rahane for India). In fact, if vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah captains the team in place of the covid-hit Rohit Sharma, as reports indicate, India would have had four Test captains this year after KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit.
The England that India and Bumrah left shattered at a sun-kissed Oval, have enjoyed a resurrection with new skipper Ben Stokes and the attack-at-all-costs approach practised and preached by coach Brendon McCullum.

One witnessed it in the three-match series against World Test champions New Zealand, which the hosts won 3-0,- hunting down tricky fourth innings targets with a cowboy attitude that one associated only with the West Indies teams of yore.
Jonny Bairstow, a white-ball colossus, has started to own red-ball cricket again after experiencing mid-career turbulence. The stylish Ollie Pope has finally married potential with performance. The charismatic Stokes has embraced captaincy which has liberated Root to do what he does best — wear down attacks with style and keep speeding on the freeway to batting greatness. The sulks and smirks on the faces of James Anderson and Stuart Broad after they were dropped from the tour of West Indies, have been replaced by smiles as they are back hunting as a pair.
An unsettled team suddenly appears a well-oiled machine and it is against this outfit that India will be up against. And ironically, it is India that look unsettled.
KL Rahul, who practised the art of leaving expertly in the early overs last year, is out injured. Skipper Rohit is down and almost certainly out with Covid. Kohli’s form still sports a label of MISSING in BOLD and CAPITAL.

Since it is a one-off scenario, India don’t have much margin for error. Series wins in leading Test countries are rare occurrences for sub-continent teams. While fans overlooked the debacle in South Africa when the team was leading 1-0, as an aberration, they won’t be very charitable if 2-1 becomes 2-2 here.
To avoid that, India will hope to get their combinations right. Given Rohit’s illness, can Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped from the series against Sri Lanka at home, open with Shubman Gill?
Hanuma Vihari batted at No. 3 in the home series against Sri Lanka, but he could not own that spot. But if Pujara bats at the top, India will need someone solid at No.3. Or to give Pujara his favoured No.3 spot, Vihari could be asked to open.

Shreyas Iyer has yet to play a Test overseas and India will hope that he can quickly overcome his weaknesses against the short ball. He will most likely bat at No.5.
That brings us to the R Ashwin conundrum.
With England in the midst of a dry spell, will India gamble with two spinners? It won’t be an easy selection meeting.