Cricket news: Trent Bridge is all set to host the opening game of the five-match test series between India and England. The last time these two sides met at Trent Bridge in 2018, India won convincingly by 203 runs. That eventually turned out to be India’s only win of the series.
The World Test Championship back in June was played in front of a limited crowd containing a maximum of 4000 spectators at the Rose Bowl stadium in Southampton. However after the U.K government lifted Covid restrictions in July, the five matches will be played in front of a packed stadium.
England always have a home crowd advantage thanks to their famous Barmy Army against every opposition apart from India. The Bharat Army from India is very vocal in every venue in the world and England is no exception. England grounds always have a large number of Indian supporters. The crowd support is expected to be equal for both sides. If anything it might be more for India.
Pitch Report:
Early images of the pitch show a considerable amount of grass which might be trimmed before the game. Despite that, there is no chance of the final pitch being flat or dry. The pitch will be suited for the quicks as expected.
England will most probably play without a specialist spinner due to the pitch and whether conditions. India on the other hand would love to play both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. But the pitch might force them to make a very difficult choice of dropping Ashwin in favour of a fourth pacer either Mohammed Siraj or Umesh Yadav. Another option would be to deploy Shardul Thakur as an All-rounder instead of Jadeja.
Also read: Players who can turn around the match in India Vs England Series
Weather forecast:
Nottinghamshire is expected to have a typical overcast English weather. The first day is the only day when sunny conditions are forecasted with very few clouds towards the end of the day. Day two is when the rain gods may decide to spoil the party with high chances of showers post-lunch. The remaining three days are expected to have showers and maybe heavy rain throughout the day. Despite the forecast there is still a high chance of the match to be played for a good amount of time over the five days with a high possibility of a result.
The cloudy weather is another factor that will assist the fast bowlers. The spinners might come into play in the final two days. There is enough indication that India will have to go with four seamers and one spinner. What combination Virat Kohli chooses will be interesting to see.
