India vs England 1st Test Highlights, Day 1: India 21/0 at stumps after England 183 all out

England's batting was exposed during a 1-0 series loss to New Zealand in June that ended their seven-year run of unbeaten campaigns on home soil. Although England captain Root boasts an impressive Test average of 48.68, the next best in his side belongs to opener Rory Burns, with 33.23, while the recent form of Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope does not inspire confidence. Crawley in particular has seen his returns in Test cricket decline dramatically since making a brilliant 267 against Pakistan, with a mere 123 runs in 12 subsequent innings at an average of 10.25.

India captain Virat Kohli is one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation and on his side's last tour of England scored an impressive 593 runs. But his recent form has been below the high standard associated with his career. In eight Tests since the beginning of 2020, Kohli has only made 345 runs at an average of 24.64. And to go with that, not a single hundred has been scored by him, across formats, since November 2019's day-night Test ton against Bangladesh.

Today Virat Kohli will have to think overtime about the balance of his squad with a long tail, often bushy with runs, and just two openers -- one untested (Rohit Sharma) but very capable and another supremely talented (KL Rahul) but highly reluctant starter. Rahul, with 2000 plus Test runs, looks a logical choice to partner Rohit after Mayank Agarwal's concussion but the lack of Hardik Pandya and the utility of two specialist spinners does come into the question. Bengal's Abhimanyu Easwaran had last played a first-class game in March, 2020 and that too after enduring a horrendous season. Will the team risk him? It would be a huge call. That brings into the equation Hanuma Vihari, the team's 'All-Purpose Player', who had once faced the new ball in Australia.

The toughest four months of Virat Kohli's eventful leadership career start on Wednesday when his strategic acumen will be tested while selecting a perfect Indian combination to take on a good England side in the first Test of a five-match series. Kohli announced his playing XI for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand couple of days before the game and drew flak for not respecting the conditions.