Former cricketer Darren Gough broke down what could happen when England takes on India and Australia in the important series this year. England kicked off a busy summer by winning a one-off Test against Zimbabwe by an innings and 45 runs at Trent Bridge last week. Next up, they’ll play three ODIs and three T20Is against the West Indies, then focus on the five Tests against India starting June 20 at Headingley. With India missing big names like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who retired earlier, Gough thinks England is in a good position.
We should win the ODIs against the West Indies. But then there’s the India series. That’s going to be a real test for England. With Sharma and Kohli out, England is favored, Gough told Sky Sports.
Since Brendon McCullum took over as head coach, England has been all about ‘Bazball’ in Tests. This new style of play has produced mixed results. Under his leadership, they haven’t really challenged for the World Test Championship title in the last two cycles.
Looking ahead to the Ashes, Gough believes that the team will face a lot of scrutiny if they don’t perform well against India and Australia. If England beats India and Australia, you could argue this team is the best in the world. If they lose, questions will arise about the last few years. There’s a lot of pressure on this team to step up, he added.