Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has backed India to beat England in the upcoming five-match Test series. The bilateral series which marks the beginning of the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship will start on August 4 (Wednesday) in Nottingham.

After Sunil Gavaskar, now Vaughan has stated that India will start as the favourites to win the series. Joe Root & Co has been in a tough place since the start of this year. They lost against India 3-1 earlier this year and then lost 1-0 at home against New Zealand.

💬 💬 Your mental health matters a lot: @ajinkyarahane88 #TeamIndia #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/5lKl3RDIw7

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 2, 2021

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Michael Vaughan stated:

“With no Stokes, it will be difficult for England to balance this side. They will either go with a batter less or a bowler less. So, it will be difficult for Joe Root to manage. August and September spin will play a part. I am going to predict and I hate to say this, India are going to win 3-1.”

Meanwhile, so far India have only thrice in England with their last win coming in 2007 under Rahul Dravid. Virat Kohli & Co will be desperate to better their results when they come out to the field.

Ben Stokes withdraws from the series citing mental health

The ace all-rounder Ben Stokes has taken an indefinite break from all forms of cricket with immediate effect, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.

“Stokes has withdrawn from England’s Test squad ahead of the LV= Insurance Test series against India starting next week to prioritise his mental well-being and to rest his left index finger, which has not fully healed since his return to competitive cricket earlier this month,” ECB said.

He received support from all quarters with cricketers urging the need to talk about mental health more often.

---