England vs India: Batsmen have to deliver if India have to win series

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, who led India to a 1-1 draw in England in Tests in 2002, feels the Indian batsmen need to deliver if Virat Kohli’s side aimed to win the five-Test series against England starting August 1.

Ganguly, who is the joint second most successful captain for India in Tests along with Kohli at the moment, reckons that the Indian batsmen would have to score 400-450 runs in the first innings if they were to take a lead against the formidable opponents.

India have not won a Test series in England since 2007 when Rahul Dravid’s men bagged a three-match series 1-0. “(It will depend) on the batsmen,” Ganguly, 46, told journalists at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

England are currently ranked fifth in the ICC Test table

England showed their class in the ODI series, winning it 2-1 after losing the first game. India, however, won the T20I series before that but their slump in two consecutive ODI games raised a few concerns among the fans. England, who will be playing their historic 1000th Test at Edgbaston from August 1, however, have not been as successful in Tests off late.

They have not won their last three series played against Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan, and are currently ranked fifth in the ICC Test table, 28 points lesser than top-rank holders India.

England though have history on their side when it comes to Test series at home against India. They thumped MS Dhoni’s India 4-0 in 2011 and 3-1 in 2014 – the last two Test series that the two sides have played in England.

About Dhoni’s lean patch, Ganguly said the latter’s decision to retire was something he himself had to make and hoped that the wicket-keeper-batsman would get back to scoring runs soon.

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