India vs England, 5th Test: Old rivalry, new look
Both India & England have fresh management but the spotlight will also be on some familiar foes in the rescheduled fifth Test starting todayUnlike the India-Australia contests, the India versus England rivalry has been devoid of personality clashes like Shane Warne vs Sachin Tendulkar or Glenn McGrath vs Tendulkar. There were only brief episodes in the early 2000s when Nasser Hussain and Sourav Ganguly clashed with their unique captaincy styles.
Read AlsoIndia vs England recap: How a dominant Team India took a 2-1 series lead last yearIndia will lock horns against England in their rescheduled fifth Test at Birmingham which was cancelled last year barely few hours before its scheduled start due to an outbreak of Covid-19 in the Indian camp.
It was only after the 2014 series, when Jimmy Anderson had Virat Kohli for lunch, breakfast and dinner, and Kohli responded in style in 2016 at home and 2018 away, that a clash of personalities got top billing. This one-off Test starting at Edgbaston on Friday will perhaps be the last time that one will see the ageing warhorse go up against the currently out-of-form Indian great. Fans of both sides will be focused on how these two greats line up against each other. Anderson, who replaces Jamie Overton in the England squad for this Test, has rediscovered his love and passion for the game after admitting briefly that he thought of quitting the sport after being dropped against West Indies. He may have lost pace and a bit of zip, but give him the Dukes cherry and a nervy batsman with three slips and a gully waiting, and you will suddenly see him transform into a magician, thanks to the skill that he possesses in moving the ball.
Ditto for Kohli. It is no secret that the restless, hungry
