England vs India 2018: Best and Worst of India tour of England

India’s long tour of England ended three days ago as India lost the fifth Test by a margin of 118 runs. The Men in Blue gave a close fight to the British side as they were in a winnable situation in three out of the four Tests (Lord’s is the exception) which they lost.

Virat Kohli and his men returned to India with just one series win, the T20I series. They lost the ODI series 1-2 after winning the first one-day international. This team had the caliber to beat the mighty English team in their home conditions but the failure of some key players cost them this golden opportunity.

In this article, I will analyze the best and worst parts of the tour.

#1 Best: The rise & rise of Virat Kohli

England v India: Specsavers 4th Test - Day Four

After a commendable performance with the bat in the previous overseas tours, Virat Kohli was back in England where he had a horrendous average of 13.4 in 10 innings when Team India visited the UK 4 years ago.

This year, the story has been different. After a below par performance against minnows Ireland, Virat started off with a slow 20* (22) in the first t20i against England but chipped in with quick-fire 40+ scores in the 2nd and 3rd games.

He carried on his good form in the one-day series, finishing with an average of 63.66 after 3 matches. In his sternest test in English conditions, the Indian skipper amassed a mind-boggling 149 at Birmingham, overtaking his tally of 134 runs in the entire Test series of 2014.

Virat seemed unstoppable against the likes of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes as he emerged as the highest run-scorer from both the sides, with 593 runs at a staggering average of 59.30. He lacked support from the other end which contributed towards India's repeated failures.

#1 Worst: India's inability to wrap up the tail

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Four

Sam Curran, a 20-year-old pace bowling all-rounder finished the series as England’s 4th highest run scorer ahead of Jonny Bairstow, Keaton Jennings and other English batsmen. Chris Woakes registered his first ever Test century on a pitch where no Indian batsman could cross the 35-run mark. In the fifth Test, England scored a huge 332 after losing 7 wickets for 181.

These three instances point towards one common thing and that is Indian bowlers’ inability to dismiss the tail-enders. The only Test match in which India wrapped up the lower order was the 3rd Test and India won that match. Thus, the English lower order is one of the chief reasons India lost this series 4-1.

#2 Best: Ravindra Jadeja's all-round display

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Three

After conceding an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the 5-match series, India made two changes for the 5th match. They included Ravindra Jadeja and debutant Hanuma Vihari in place of R Ashwin and Hardik Pandya.

This was a huge opportunity for Jadeja after being sidelined from the one-day set-up. Jadeja made sure he made the most out of it and scalped 4 wickets in the first innings. He was also the last man standing at the end of India's first innings where he missed a deserving century by just 14 runs.

Captain Kohli made the Saurashtra-born spinner bowl 47 overs in the second innings which shows Jadeja's never-ending stamina. This proved to be a great incentive for India heading into future overseas tours.

#2 Worst: Failure of the Top 3

England v India: Specsavers 3rd Test - Day Two

The fans expected a lot from the Indian top order comprising Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of the Specsavers Test series, after the form that Vijay and Dhawan showed against Afghanistan and Pujara's long county-stint.

After the 5 matches, Murali Vijay is not even in the squad, Dhawan has become synonymous with inconsistency while Pujara played well in patches. Pujara's 132* in the fourth Test was the only saving grace for India's top 3 pillars.

#3 Best: India's T20I team

England v India - 3rd Vitality International T20

Shifting the focus to the only series which England lost, this 3-match series proved that Virat Kohli's men are second to none in the shortest format of the game. After conquering the Irish challenge, India were on the back foot in the first t20i against England thanks to the exploits of Jason Roy and Jos Buttler as England raced towards the 50 run mark inside the mandatory power play.

The Indian team showed character and bounced back restricting the home side to 159/8 in their 20 overs with Kuldeep Yadav picking a 5-wicket haul. A century from Karnataka born KL Rahul ensured India chased down the target with ease. Even Rohit Sharma scored a 100* in the 3rd t20i as India proved to be the better team securing the series with a scoreline of 2-1.

#3 Worst: India's middle order conundrum in the ODIs

England v India - 2nd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

We are less than a year away from the World Cup in England and India has still not found its perfect middle order, an unsolved problem since the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were finding it hard to score runs and when they scored some they were at a slow rate which further deepened India's troubles. The pitches will be the same in the World Cup and India has to solve this middle order conundrum as soon as possible in the 50 over format.

#4 Best/Worst: Rishabh Pant's emergence as India's new Test Wicket-keeper

England v India: Specsavers 5th Test - Day Five

An interesting topic to discuss. Wriddhiman Saha was the first choice Test wicketkeeper for India with Parthiv Patel playing the role of the reserve wicketkeeper. But in this Test series, India started off with Dinesh Karthik as their first choice keeper and he was dropped after the Lord's debacle. The selectors picked 20-year-old Pant as his replacement.

Pant played well in his debut series scoring his maiden Test century in the 5th Test and was even a part of a brilliant partnership with KL Rahul. However, he leaked 76 byes behind the stumps which led to England gaining momentum in the innings. This statistic raises many questions regarding Pant's wicket-keeping abilities as in the subcontinent conditions he may find it very difficult to keep wickets against spinners.