The schedule for the Indian team's 1952 trip to England was discovered by me.

India played the first of their four Test matches in July after two months of 'warm up' games (tour games), which started in early May. In all, India played 29 games during that tour!

Clearly, those were different times, with national teams having plenty of leisure time—India even more so because it was a budding Test nation.

In spite of these limitations, Indian cricket is now doing its best to provide the necessary attention to overseas Test cricket, as if India were a busy business mogul with no free days. It would be unreasonable to anticipate greater dedication than this, thus India will now have at most a week of preparation and a few 'friendly' games before their first Test on a foreign tour.

Since Indian players visit England and Australia frequently these days, it's now more about acclimatizing to the conditions for the players. Modern players often make the same errors in the actual Test match that they would have made in the warmup games since there aren't many first-class matches before the first Test. It's more of a learning in the job scenario.

To put it simply, players in England only need to make two major changes.

Batters must perform the exact opposite of what they have been doing for the past two months in the IPL: they must refrain from hitting through the line and play tight to the body when the ball is not pitched to them. And indeed, leave deliveries outside. Anyone who is unable to accomplish these two tasks will have a terrible time touring England. This reality cannot be avoided.

Recall that in 2018, Virat Kohli's outstanding performance was solely due to the fact that he left so many balls outside off, which allowed him to easily become the top scorer from both sides.

I observed KL Rahul rehearsing this extensively in the nets when he was up against Bumrah two days ago. In a sense, he was reconnecting. From the potential top five, Karun Nair is most likely to concentrate on this. He has a propensity to play loosely armed on the up as a natural response to a well-lengthed ball.

Nitish Reddy, who despite being a contemporary product of the T20 world, is able to leave balls outside off and play close to the body, is another lucky addition to India's Jaiswal, Rahul, Pant, Sudharsan, and Jadeja.

Although this batting order may be inexperienced, they are not technically sitting ducks.

In terms of adapting, we believe that bowlers' lives are simpler; all they need to do is continue to peg away outside off.

Sure, length is more important than line. The length that will make you a star bowler in England is one that brings the batter forward and encourages them to drive or push.

Indian seamers have a tendency to bowl a little shorter naturally because of the flat surface and low bounce of our pitches. However, in England, this Indian length will turn you into an "unlucky Ishant."

Recall Ishant constantly hitting the bat but never getting the edge? The reason for this was the length.

Prasidh would particularly need to work on this because his natural length is considerably shorter. Once again, it's fascinating to note that this brief duration was the reason he became an overnight sensation in the IPL.

When it comes to skill development, T20 cricket and Test cricket are always at odds. What you need to succeed in T20s will lead to your downfall in Tests. It's incredible that some players today can still excel in both formats; they are your modern greats!

Stokes' England is a different squad.

With Stokes as captain, his squad is far more difficult to defeat. His captaincy revolves around irritating opposing players, and he has unique plans for each one, similar to designer apparel.

Moreover, he doesn't just nibble away at a batter's flaws; rather, he goes for the throat. For example, he will position six fielders on the leg side when he wants to dismiss a batter who is susceptible to short balls. Since he has placed all of his eggs in one basket, he won't worry about mistakes. Stokes' leadership is a significant draw of this series, and it's only because of his captaincy that Test cricket is more enjoyable to see.

There are a lot of Indian players he won't be able to read this time, so he might be a little taken aback.

England will still be strong favorites at the outset, but India might be a threat because they will be free-spirited. Two senior players who are badly out of shape and lacking in self-assurance won't be dragging their gloom over the squad anymore, and coach Gambhir will particularly appreciate this.

Read Also: Virat Kohli Faces Backlash as Fans Debunk Test Cricket Myth After Lord’s WTC Final Photo Goes Viral: ‘No Influence Outside India’

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