New Delhi [India], June 16 : Former left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has rated India as the "favourites" ahead of his former side, England, and believes that under the dynamic duo of head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, the tourists will triumph in the five-match Test series by a 2-0 margin.
India has been solidifying its preparations in Beckenham ahead of the first Test, scheduled to kick off on June 20 at Headingley. The five challenging Tests will mark the commencement of not only the new World Test Championship cycle but also a new era in Indian cricket.
The fourth-ranked Test team will line up without its batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who bid adieu to the Test format last month. Along with the batting wizards, India won't have the presence of its frontline crafty off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from international cricket midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While fans and former cricketers are divided about the possible outcome of the series, Monty has faith in the Indian team's capability to overwhelm England's 'Bazball'. The 43-year-old feels that some players who gained experience playing on English soil during their stints in the County Championship will come in handy, and flat pitches will add to India's chances of success.
"Well, I think India has an advantage because they have players who have played County Cricket. I think India are favourites to win and I think they will probably win 2-0. But the key is going to be how they take on the seaming conditions. But also, there is gonna be a lot of hard work. If there are green pitches, I think England are favourites, but if there are flat pitches, I think India has got a chance of winning," Panesar told ANI.
The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
England squad for first Test vs India: Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.