India starts anew with new skipper Shubman Gill and new head coach Gautam Gambhir, starting a new cycle of the World Test Championship with a new and talented team. India are unlikely favourites, with many of their players untested under English conditions. But if past trends are anything to go by, unexpected things happen. The 2020-21 tour of Australia showed that an inexperienced, battered Indian team was capable of the unthinkable. This side, full of talent, can do it too.

Virat Kohli’s unexpected retirement just a month before the series has left a void, not just in India’s lineup but also in the excitement around the series. England’s Ollie Pope admitted that Kohli’s absence is a huge setback, and his presence is definitely irreplaceable. Still, he acknowledged the strength of India’s rising stars. With both sides keen and the pressure on, this series can shape the destiny of Test cricket and maybe, at last, put an end to India’s lengthy wait for win in England.

“It’s a young team, but these Indian players… they have got so much depth and talent. So they’ve got a lot of young guys coming through; a lot of good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is a fantastic player. They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping away. But they have got some good talent, so they will feel confident. But our players are ready for it,” Pope said during an interaction with talkSPORT cricket.

“It’s a great time for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming over, the level of quality that they will bring is a great way for us to focus on that and not look ahead. So yeah, for us, it’s the perfect time to play India, and then once the Ashes come around, it will be exciting,” Pope pointed out.