England and India will clash in the first Test of the five-match series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham to kickstart a highly anticipated clash, which is also the first of the second cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC 2021-23).
India does not have a great Test record to boast about in England. They have won only seven out of the 62 Tests in the country.
However, the last time India won a Test in England was at this same venue in 2018. India had scored 329 runs in the first innings thanks to 97 from Virat Kohli and 81 from Ajinkya Rahane.
In reply, England folded for 161 as Hardik Pandya picked 5/28 in just 6 overs. India then posted 352/7d in the second innings with Kohli making 103 and Cheteshwar Pujara making 72, while Hardik Pandya slammed a run-a-ball 52*.
India won the Test by 203 runs after England were bowled out for 317 chasing 521 to win, while Bumrah picked 5/85.
Unfortunately for the Indian team, Hardik Pandya will not feature in the upcoming Test series due to his inability to bowl consistently in long format matches which is a result of his back surgery.
Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh has said that team India will miss the services of Hardik Pandya going into the series opener.
Read also: ENG v IND 2021: Harbhajan Singh predicts the result of England-India Test series
"I feel that Hardik Pandya's absence could prove fatal for India. He had bowled well in Nottingham and this time the series will start in Nottingham itself. We all know that the conditions in Nottingham always favor the swing bowlers. England is always delighted at the prospect of playing at Trent Bridge as their bowlers perform well," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Harbhajan said that Pandya might not have the express pace but would have been a useful asset with the Dukes' ball in swinging conditions.
"I think the playing eleven would have been stronger had Hardik Pandya been there, not only due to his batting, but with the 10-15 overs he bowls in a day in swinging conditions, he can pick up wickets. And when he is in full flow, like the last time in Nottingham, he had picked up five wickets," Harbhajan added.
Highlighting Hardik Pandya’s importance in the Team India captain Virat Kohli during the pre-match press conference said that fast bowling all-rounders are key not just in this series but overall.
“Hardik has done that so far in the past and he is getting back on track to bowling regularly. These kinds of cricketers help the team in a massive way and Shardul is a huge prospect for us. Someone who will be very important not just this series but moving forward as well,” said Kohli.
Hardik Pandya last played a Test for India in Southampton in the same 2018 series. He has not been bowling regularly since then after recovering from back surgery.
