IND vs AUS | Expect England to put a good fight against a strong Indian side, opines Monty Panesar

The two teams would go into this series on a high, with India defeating mighty Australia at their own backyard while the Three Lions came away unscathed in their series against Sri Lanka. In terms of preparation, both teams have had the highest quality preparation ahead of the crucial fixture, which would decide the fate of India’s place in the final of the World Test Championship. 

In 2012-13, however, it was the duo of Panesar and Graeme Swann, who did the damage for the visitors, with Panesar picking up 17 wickets. He reckons that Ravichandran Ashwin’s impact would be huge on the series, considering that the first two Tests are in his own backyard.

While insisting that Ashwin would be key, Panesar also pointed out how England could take advantage of the fact that Jadeja would miss the series, with an injury. 

"Jadeja will be missed. The second spinner will be crucial for India as Ashwin will need support from the other end to put England under pressure. They have named Axar Patel in the squad but I do believe that Jadeja adds a different dimension to the Indian team," he said.

"If England are to have a chance of winning this series, Root will have to bat well. He needs to bat for long periods of time just like Alastair Cook did during the 2012-13 series. He has been brilliant in Sri Lanka and I do hope Root continues batting in the same way against India," he said.