Ian Chappell names the stronger batting line-up between England and India

Team India will be soon embarking on their tour to the United Kingdom where they will face Ireland and England. The two-match T20 International series against the former side is being seen as the warm-up for the Men in Blue before they lock horns against the more superior side. However, their major challenge would be coming out on top in the five-match Test rubber and the former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell has analysed the chances of both the teams winning the series.

England recently somehow managed to draw the series against Pakistan by a resounding win at Headingley. But the way they lost the game at the Lord’s was a worrying prospect as they succumbed to the pressure which has become a norm in the recent past. Having said that, the Joe Root-led side can’t be undermined completely as they are always known to do well at home.

Chappell is backing which team?

Ian Chappell, in his column for Mid-day, has backed the Indian team to trouble England during the Test series and expose their frailties at the top of the order. He also highlighted England’s inability to sustain the pressure after the spells of James Anderson and Stuart Broad while indicating that the middle-order of the visitors is too strong.

“India have the stronger batting line-up of the two teams and their variety in the attack could help negate England’s middle-order strength if the openers continue to fail,” he wrote. But he was also of the opinion that the new ball bowlers of England will pose a serious threat to them.

“There’s no doubt that the swing bowling of Jimmy Anderson will present the Indian line-up with a serious challenge and if there’s movement off the seam, Stuart Broad will also be a handful,” Chappell further wrote. The first Test between the two sides will commence on August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham and will have an ample amount of time to get into the groove for the longer format after the ODI series.

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