Virat Kohli went into this series gamely attempting to play down its significance. All Test matches are equal, he said, with a straight face. It was a perfectly respectable pre-match ploy. And, for a split second, it was tempting to believe him.
As India’s high-class seam attack dismantled England’s motley batting line-up on the first day of a potential 25 over the coming weeks, it was revealing to see what happens when at least one of the teams treats a major series with the respect it deserves. Because for all Kohli’s insouciance, India really do want to win.
Since their last victory in England, in 2007, they have lost three series here by a collective margin of 11-2. That has felt misleading at times, especially during their 4-1 defeat in 2018.
India's top-class seamers annihilated England on day one of the first Test at Trent Bridge
For all his insouciance, it is clear that India captain Virat Kohli (left) really wants to win
England captain Joe Root (left) was the only England batsman to put up a decent fight
But it has all added up to feverish talk of the final frontier: now that India have won their two most recent series in Australia, it is to England that attention and resources have turned.
And those resources are considerable. Sitting on the bench here are off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and opening bowler Ishant Sharma, who between them boast 719 Test wickets. If Ashwin were English, many of Joe Root’s headaches would be solved in an instant. Being Indian, he has a world-class rival in Ravindra Jadeja, the slow left-armer with the small matter of 221 Test wickets at an average of 24.
It is also the case that Indian sides have been touring two parts of the world at the same time, having just finished a pair of limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, where they won the ODIs before losing the T20s.
Seamer Jasprit Bumrah set the tone for the day, taking Rory Burns' wicket with the fifth ball
Jonny Bairstow's (right) wicket preceded an England collapse, losing six wickets for 45 runs
England were recently obliged by the pandemic to do something similar themselves, fielding a team of reserves – plus Ben Stokes – against Pakistan, and rightly revelling in their own white-ball strength in depth. But while England’s continued excellence in 50- and 20-over cricket has come at the expense of their Test fortunes, India have
