The wait is over! The India vs England Test series starts soon. The opening Test takes place at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, starting Thursday, January 25.
England enters with an aggressive strategy to their red-ball cricket. The aim? To defeat the Indian side on their home turf for the first time in 12 years. It’s promising to be an exciting series. India has been near unstoppable at home. Over the past decade, they’ve played 40 Test matches on their home ground, clinched victory in 30 and lost just three.
Captain Rohit Sharma and his team aim to keep their strong score intact without veterans Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami. Kohli isn’t playing in the first two Tests, and Shami is healing from an ankle injury from the 2023 ODI World Cup.
There are several records that both sides have an opportunity to shatter in the forthcoming five-game series. Let’s examine five potential outcomes for the vital Test series between England and India:
1. Rohit Sharma eyes record for most Test sixes by an Indian
In the Test match against England, Rohit Sharma, the batsman with the most career sixes, might achieve yet another significant six-hitting record.
Rohit might become the Indian player with the most sixes in Test cricket if he keeps up his aggressive style of play and smashes a couple balls out of the park. At present, Rohit stands as the third-most Test sixes scorer for India with 77.
The Indian captain would overtake Virender Sehwag’s record of 91 maximums if he knocks 15 more sixes during the series.
In addition, Rohit is 10 sixes short of being the first player in international cricket history to reach 600 maximums.
2. Ashwin eyes record for fastest 500 Test wickets by an Indian
Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of India’s most vital performers in home Test matches throughout the last ten years. He is a real threat because of his extensive experience playing in Indian conditions and his ability to pounce on sluggish tracks.
Ashwin’s impressive 12-year history in Test cricket has garnered him a huge 490 wickets across a mere 179 Test innings. The opportunity lies before him to be the quickest Indian player to rack up 500 Test wickets.
For now, Anil Kumble maintains the record with 500 Test wickets in 105 Tests. Suppose Ashwin lands 10 wickets in the upcoming series against England. In that case, he will achieve the record, having participated in 95 Test matches to date.
After taking just 87 Tests to get 500 red-ball wickets, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka might surpass Ashwin as the second-fastest player overall.
3. Ashwin close to achieving India’s record for most Test five-wicket hauls
In Test cricket, Ravichandran Ashwin has the potential to surpass all other Indians in terms of most five-wicket innings.
In his career, the Indian spinner has claimed 34 wickets in Test matches. He trails Indian spinner Anil Kumble by only a few wickets with 35 Test five-wicket hauls to his credit.
Ashwin’s eight Test match ten-wicket hauls are already on equal with Kumble’s. He would break that mark if he took another ten wickets in the forthcoming series.
4. Rohit could become the Indian with the fourth-most international runs
Because of his incredible batting over the years, Rohit Sharma has broken several records all across the world. In the next series, he might reach yet another significant milestone—and it might not even take several innings to do it.
At the moment, Rohit is sixth in India’s history of scoring runs in international cricket. With an average of 43.34, the Mumbai Indians player has amassed 18,420 runs for the Indian team. Rohit will move up to fourth place and take Sourav Ganguly’s spot if he scores only 14 runs more.
Ganguly, who batted for India 485 times, amassed 18,433 runs at an average of 41.42, smashing 38 hundreds and 106 fifties.
5. Joe Root eyes record for most Test runs in India-England rivalry
Against India in Nagpur during the 2012–13 tour, Joe Root scored a valiant 73 in his opening Test innings, sparking his Test career.
Joe Root is close to breaking the record for most runs scored in Test matches between India and England, more than 11 years after the meetings began. This legendary rivalry has had many great batting players, but Root is on the verge of making history.
In his 25 Test matches against India thus far, Root has amassed 2526 runs at a remarkable average of 63.15. In addition, he has nine outstanding hundreds and ten half-centuries on his record.
Root is merely ten runs short of becoming the top scorer in Test matches between India and England. Right now, only Sachin Tendulkar, with 2,535 Test runs against the Three Lions, is ahead of him.
In Test cricket matches against India, the 33-year-old may also set a record for most runs scored. Right present, Ricky Ponting leads all players against India in Test cricket with 2555 runs. It will only take Root another thirty runs to surpass the Australian great.
He would become the player with the most Test tons against India with another century in the series.
