London [UK], June 16 : England, whose 'Bazball' brand of cricket under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum has come up short and failed to deliver a World Test Championship (WTC) final appearance, let alone the title mace so far, are up for a challenge from a new-look Indian side under captain Shubman Gill, with the first Test of five-match series starting from June 20 at Leeds.
England would be considering themselves as favourites given the home advantage and India missing senior icons like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. The 'Bazball' has given their run-rate a much-needed nitro-boost and an air of positivity. Two of their senior-most stars, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, could achieve some notable milestones in the series.
Stokes' ability to produce a clutch knock or a killer bowling spell needs no introduction, with teams having faced the headache posed by the mere presence of this all-rounder in ICC tournaments and important bilateral series.
He is now just 224 runs away from 11,000 international runs and 272 runs away from 7,000 Test runs. Stokes will be the 11th to achieve the 11,000-run mark for England in all formats, having made 10,776 runs in 268 matches and 334 innings at an average of 35.80. He has scored 18 centuries and 60 fifties, with the best score of 258.
Stokes could also become the 13th man to hit the 7,000 Test run mark for the Three Lions, with 6,728 runs in 111 Tests in 199 innings at an average of 35.41, with 13 centuries and 35 fifties. His best score is 258.
For Woakes, he has the responsibility of leading a new-look pace attack of Josh Tongue, Jamie Overton and Sam Cook. With great power in his hands as the senior-most pacer in the absence of legends like James Anderson and Stuart Broad, comes a great responsibility. As he goes about fulfilling this responsibility, he could bolster his international cricket CV with even more handsome numbers.
He is just 19 wickets away from 200 Test scalps and 15 away from 400 international scalps.
In 57 Tests, Woakes has taken 181 wickets at an average of 28.24, with best figures of 6/17, five five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket haul.
The 400-international wicket mark looks more attractive, as only seven men have achieved it in English cricket history. In 212 apperances, Woakes has taken 385 wickets at an average of 28.90, with best figures of 6/17, eight five-wicket hauls and a ten-fer. He is already the ninth-highest wicket-taker for England across all formats.
Woakes' incredible home record could serve his cause well, having taken 137 wickets in 34 Tests at an average of 21.59, with best figures of 6/17, five five-wicket hauls and a ten-wicket haul at home.
The English squad: Ben Stokes (Durham) - Captain, Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
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