opinion 
In a match where momentum swung almost as dramatically as the ball itself, it was Joe Roots England that came out on top in the series curtain-raiser against India at Edgbaston.
Virat Kohli dismissed the suggestion he is unable to succeed in English conditions by scoring 200 runs in the opening match, including a breathtaking 149 in Indias first innings of the tour.
But his dismissal to Ben Stokes on the morning of day four opened the door to England, who used their experience and skill with the ball to secure a nail-biting 31-run victory.
Root will hope for a similar outcome in the second Test that starts at Lords on Thursday and should feel optimistic about their chances against an Indian side heavily reliant on Kohli.
Here, we breakdown how England can maintain their dominance over India and go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Advertisement Advertisement
More: Cricket
FIND A WAY TO STOP KOHLI
It seems almost ridiculous, given how Kohli played in Birmingham, that there were those who still doubted his ability to deliver in England before the series began.
Yes, he failed last time around, averaging less than 14 in ten innings and often nicking off to James Anderson. But he was an emerging cricketer in 2014, not the established, record-breaking superstar he is today.
His 149 in the first innings was simply stunning. The cynics will point to the fact he was dropped twice – both times Dawid Malan (who has been dropped himself) the culprit – in an attempt to undermine the knock.
But, putting the reprieves to one side, this was still one of the best hundreds in Test cricket over the past decade, as Kohli battled the unrivalled skill of Anderson and Stuart Broad and the raw Sam Curran and Stokes to prove why he is the best in the business.
In a game where no side surpassed 290, Kohli amassed 200 runs himself, a truly remarkable achievement and a testament to the player he has developed into.
He was dismissed twice but in truth England are still no nearer to working out a way to get rid of Indias captain, as in both innings he was undone when attempting one-day strokes to compensate for the lack of contribution from his team-mates.
Virat Kohli record in Test cricket
Matches: 67
Runs: 5754
100s: 22
50s: 17
Average: 54.28
Anderson provided a real examination of Kohlis technique at Edgbaston and will continue to do so throughout the series, but Curran can threaten his pads with the in-swinging deliveries that proved to effective last week.
Advertisement Advertisement
If all else fails, England can turn to Adil Rashid to try to bamboozle Kohli with his range of leg-spinners.
While that appears overly optimistic – Kohli is one of the best players of spin in the world – Rashid has already enjoyed success against the Indian batsman this summer, having bowled him with a beauty in the one-day series.
FILL THE VOID LEFT BY STOKES ABSENCE
As England battle it out with India at the Home of Cricket, Stokes will most likely still be in Bristol Crown Court where he is facing a charge of affray following a late-night fracas that occurred last summer.
The influential all-rounder failed with the bat in the series opener, contributing just 27 runs, but he was arguably the difference with the ball and paved the way for an England victory with two wickets in one over early into day four.
A player of Stokes ability and stature cannot be easily replaced and conditions will likely determine whether Root fills his void with bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes or batting all-rounder Moeen Ali.
As we saw in Birmingham, the abnormally hot and dry weather has given spinners cause for excitement, with the excellent Ravi Ashwin troubling the England batsmen throughout the contest and picking up seven scalps.
This may give Moeen, a player with 50 Test caps, an advantage over Woakes at Lords, although the way the Indians played pace at Edgbaston may sway Trevor Bayliss.
Either way, Bayliss is fully aware that it will take two or three players to perform to ensure that Stokes absence is not one of the focal talking points throughout the second match.
Advertisement
Someone else has got to take up the slack, Englands Australian head coach said. Someone, or two or three guys, will have to do the extra yards. That will be a telling factor for the next match.
NULLIFY BRILLIANT ASHWIN
For Ashwin to have such a big impact on a Test that lasted less than four days should alarm England. Just how threatening will the worlds best off-spinner be if he is given the chance to bowl on a turning wicket towards the end of a match?
After a difficult start to his career away from home, Ashwin has evolved into a bowler capable of doing a job in any environment. His overall record – 323 wickets in 59 matches – is fantastic.
Kohli turned to his star bowler after just six overs of Englands first innings at Edgbaston and it proved to be a masterstroke as he bowled Alastair Cook with a beauty in his second over.
Stokes and Jos Buttler also fell victim to Ashwin in the first innings, before he dismissed Englands top three in the second to get his side back into contention.
England naturally look far more comfortable facing Indias seamers, which begs the question whether India can afford to only play one spinner at Lords.
Roots side will surely not stay ahead in the series unless they start playing Ashwin better, but they can at least take encouragement from how they improved against fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav during the one-day series.
Advertisement
More: Cricket
MORE: James Anderson reveals how Virat Kohli teased him during first India Test
Advertisement Advertisement
opinion
In a match where momentum swung almost as dramatically as the ball itself, it was Joe Roots England that came out on top in the series curtain-raiser against India at Edgbaston.
Virat Kohli dismissed the suggestion he is unable to succeed in English conditions by scoring 200 runs in the opening match, including a breathtaking 149 in Indias first innings of the tour.
But his dismissal to Ben Stokes on the morning of day four opened the door to England, who used their experience and skill with the ball to secure a nail-biting 31-run victory.
Root will hope for a similar outcome in the second Test that starts at Lords on Thursday and should feel optimistic about their chances against an Indian side heavily reliant on Kohli.
Here, we breakdown how England can maintain their dominance over India and go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Advertisement Advertisement
More: Cricket
FIND A WAY TO STOP KOHLI
It seems almost ridiculous, given how Kohli played in Birmingham, that there were those who still doubted his ability to deliver in England before the series began.
Yes, he failed last time around, averaging less than 14 in ten innings and often nicking off to James Anderson. But he was an emerging cricketer in 2014, not the established, record-breaking superstar he is today.
His 149 in the first innings was simply stunning. The cynics will point to the fact he was dropped twice – both times Dawid Malan (who has been dropped himself) the culprit – in an attempt to undermine the knock.
But, putting the reprieves to one side, this was still one of the best hundreds in Test cricket over the past decade, as Kohli battled the unrivalled skill of Anderson and Stuart Broad and the raw Sam Curran and Stokes to prove why he is the best in the business.
In a game where no side surpassed 290, Kohli amassed 200 runs himself, a truly remarkable achievement and a testament to the player he has developed into.
He was dismissed twice but in truth England are still no nearer to working out a way to get rid of Indias captain, as in both innings he was undone when attempting one-day strokes to compensate for the lack of contribution from his team-mates.
Virat Kohli record in Test cricket
Matches: 67
Runs: 5754
100s: 22
50s: 17
Average: 54.28
Anderson provided a real examination of Kohlis technique at Edgbaston and will continue to do so throughout the series, but Curran can threaten his pads with the in-swinging deliveries that proved to effective last week.
Advertisement Advertisement
If all else fails, England can turn to Adil Rashid to try to bamboozle Kohli with his range of leg-spinners.
While that appears overly optimistic – Kohli is one of the best players of spin in the world – Rashid has already enjoyed success against the Indian batsman this summer, having bowled him with a beauty in the one-day series.
FILL THE VOID LEFT BY STOKES ABSENCE
As England battle it out with India at the Home of Cricket, Stokes will most likely still be in Bristol Crown Court where he is facing a charge of affray following a late-night fracas that occurred last summer.
The influential all-rounder failed with the bat in the series opener, contributing just 27 runs, but he was arguably the difference with the ball and paved the way for an England victory with two wickets in one over early into day four.
A player of Stokes ability and stature cannot be easily replaced and conditions will likely determine whether Root fills his void with bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes or batting all-rounder Moeen Ali.
As we saw in Birmingham, the abnormally hot and dry weather has given spinners cause for excitement, with the excellent Ravi Ashwin troubling the England batsmen throughout the contest and picking up seven scalps.
This may give Moeen, a player with 50 Test caps, an advantage over Woakes at Lords, although the way the Indians played pace at Edgbaston may sway Trevor Bayliss.
Either way, Bayliss is fully aware that it will take two or three players to perform to ensure that Stokes absence is not one of the focal talking points throughout the second match.
Advertisement
Someone else has got to take up the slack, Englands Australian head coach said. Someone, or two or three guys, will have to do the extra yards. That will be a telling factor for the next match.
NULLIFY BRILLIANT ASHWIN
For Ashwin to have such a big impact on a Test that lasted less than four days should alarm England. Just how threatening will the worlds best off-spinner be if he is given the chance to bowl on a turning wicket towards the end of a match?
After a difficult start to his career away from home, Ashwin has evolved into a bowler capable of doing a job in any environment. His overall record – 323 wickets in 59 matches – is fantastic.
Kohli turned to his star bowler after just six overs of Englands first innings at Edgbaston and it proved to be a masterstroke as he bowled Alastair Cook with a beauty in his second over.
Stokes and Jos Buttler also fell victim to Ashwin in the first innings, before he dismissed Englands top three in the second to get his side back into contention.
England naturally look far more comfortable facing Indias seamers, which begs the question whether India can afford to only play one spinner at Lords.
Roots side will surely not stay ahead in the series unless they start playing Ashwin better, but they can at least take encouragement from how they improved against fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav during the one-day series.
Advertisement
More: Cricket
MORE: James Anderson reveals how Virat Kohli teased him during first India Test
Advertisement Advertisement
