Event of the Day: England versus India
Our event of the day is the opening day of the first test of five between England and India. The five-day match will be played at Edgbaston from August 1st to 5th, as India continues its summer Tour of England. The two squads have already put together some great performances over the last month. India were victorious in the Twenty20 series 2-1, while England managed to win the ODI series 2-1. The five-Test series should be a thrilling competition with the Pataudi Trophy on the line. India enters the series as the top team in the Test rankings while England are ranked as number five.
Despite having home field advantage, England may be facing an uphill battle against India. The summer heat wave that England has been experiencing will likely work against their favour. India is used to hot, dry conditions such as these. Keep your eye on how the dry summer plays a factor today and going forward. Captain Joe Root has announced Adil Rashid will be England’s only spinner for the first Test with Moeen Ali missing out. Jos Buttler has been named vice-captain for the series. Other key players for the English side will be batsman Johnny Bairstow and top wicket-taker James Anderson. India will be leaning on captain Virat Kohli and all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravichandran Ashwin. It should be a terrific opening match to the series at Edgbaston.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to Day 3 of the Citi Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Centre in Washington, D.C.. On the Men’s side, big matches include the all-British tie between Andy Murray and Kyle Edmund and the all-America clash between Noah Rubin and John Isner. In the Women’s Singles, second seed American Sloane Stephens will face German Andrea Petkovic. It is set to be another great day on the hard courts in D.C.. Elsewhere in Tennis, the WTA World Tour Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic enters its third day at San Jose State University in California. In the MLB, the American League West leading Houston Astros are in Seattle to play the second place Mariners at Safeco Field. The National League Central leading Chicago Cubs are in Pittsburgh to face the Pirates at PNC Park. It is the second day of flat racing at the 2018 Qatar Goodwood Festival in Chichester, West Sussex. In the UEFA Champions League, Mälmo face CFR Cluj in their second leg qualifying match at Swedbank Stadium. HJK play Bate Borisov in their second leg match at Sonera Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. It is Day 3 of the 2018 Sailing World Championships in Aarhus. The quarter-finals of the Women’s Hockey World Cup are on at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. In the Natwest T20 Blast, Somerset face off against Hampshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground and Sussex play Gloucestershire at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by ECB Cricket