Ind vs Eng: Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar explains possible pitch impact on Anderson, Broad

India's tour to England didn't start on an ideal note as they lost the inaugural World Test Championship Final against New Zealand by eight wickets. Virat Kohli's men now have a great opportunity to put the heartbreaking WTC Final loss behind and focus on winning the upcoming five-match India vs England Test series. The IND vs ENG 2021 Test series is set to begin in August which has given players ample time to rejuvenate and come back fresh for the challenging assignment against England in their own backyard.

Sunil Gavaskar reckons James Anderson, Stuart Broad won't be as effective against India

Ahead of the IND vs ENG 2021 Test series, former Indian cricketer and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar has reckoned that the Indian team should not be too worried about the series against England. In his column in The Telegraph, Gavaskar wrote that Indian batsmen need not worry about the series against England in August-September as the sun will be out by then and the pitches will be drier.

Gavaskar added with all due respect, if James Anderson and Stuart Broad don't get wickets in their first spell, they will struggle in their next spells as the surface will be drier and the duo won't be as effective. He further said that the English summer has begun with disappointment for India. However, he opined when disappointment fuels determination then fortunes can be turned and that's the attitude this talented team needs to make this a truly Indian summer.

It is worth mentioning that when India toured England in 2018, the Virat Kohli-led side lost the series by a margin of 4-1. Since 2007, India have toured England thrice in 2011, 2014 and 2018 but haven't managed to win a single Test series. Their last win came in 2007 (1-0) under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. The India vs England Test series will begin at Nottingham (Aug 4-8) and will be followed by matches at Lord's (August 12-16), Leeds (Aug 25-29), Oval (Sep 2-6), and Manchester (Sep 10-14). 

Indian squad for five-match Test series vs England: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper).

Standby players: Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Arzan Nagwaswalla

IMAGE SOURCE: ICC TWITTER/ PTI