Picture Credit: Trentbridge.co.uk
India and England are all set to commence the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship final when they meet for the first of the five-match series on August 4 at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. While India are currently placed second in the ICC Test Rankings, they will be up against England who are at the fourth position. Each Test has a total of 12 points at stake which means the teams will be aiming for nothing but a 60/60 result from this series, although there all kinds of challenges that will come their way.
Another factor that might prevent the team from getting all the 12 points of a win is the weather in England. It is being predicted that rain could indeed play a spoilsport in the series opener, with rain expected on all five days of the match. Moreover, Days 2, 3, and 4 of the Test match which happens to be August 5, 6 and 7, respectively- could be the worst affected as rains are predicted during the scheduled hours of play.
Average temperature around 20 Degree Celsius
Meanwhile, a temperature of an estimated 20 degree celsius is expected over the course of five days. Not only are these factors set to affect the game but might even prompt the captains' idea of a perfect playing XI. Given that the temperature will only be around 20 and rains likely to play a role, will Virat Kohli decide to go ahead with both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja or will he add another pacer instead? He will have to answer that for himself before coming out for the toss on Wednesday.
A seam friendly wicket at Trent Bridge
As far as the pitch at the venue is concerned, at the outset it appears to be a bowler-friendly wicket with grass on it to interest the pacers. With potential overcast conditions, the seamers will always have a chance in the match. However, there is also likely to be turn on offer, especially if the matches go to Days 4 and 5.
Expect a high quality cricketing encounter with rain also playing hide and seek in this first Test at Trent Bridge.