Eoin Morgan gives his verdict on India vs England Test series winner, says 'I would say the things are in their favour at that moment'

Former England captain Eoin Morgan has backed his home team to emerge victorious against India in the upcoming five-match Test series which is set to start from June 20. Morgan, alongside Mark Butcher, thoroughly analysed the Indian squad following the BCCI selection committee's announcement for the England tour

Morgan specifically highlighted England's likely advantage due to India's relative inexperience in Test cricket, particularly when playing away from home. He emphasised that the home conditions would significantly favor England, predicting a challenging tour for the Indian side. Morgan also noted that while England hasn't always been the favorite in previous encounters, their strong home form this time around makes them the team to beat.

“I would say England are favourite, I haven’t looked at any of the mark, just with the home form with journey, I would say the things are in their favour at that moment. So it’s a nice place to be. I have played some really bad teams, but we were never the favourite (laughs). It's gonna be a tough tour for India,” Morgan said on Sky Sports.

Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new captain of the Indian Test team for England tour. Interestingly, England's World Cup-winner has a history of playing alongside Gill, as they were teammates for two seasons in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

“He is natural leader he takes on responsibilty within a group he doesn’t mind qestioning methodolgy,” Morgan further stated.

Morgan had identified Shubman Gill as a natural leader during their time together at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where Gill even played under Morgan when KKR reached the IPL 2021 final. This potential has now been recognized by the Indian selectors, as Gill has been appointed captain for the upcoming England tour, with Rishabh Pant named as his vice-captain. The batting lineup for the Test series will feature KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Karun Nair, and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Notably, Shreyas Iyer and Sarfaraz Khan were not selected for this overseas Test series. In terms of all-rounders, Shardul Thakur makes a return to the squad, joining Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The pace attack will be spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Arshdeep Singh, making for a five-man fast-bowling contingent. The spin department will rely solely on Kuldeep Yadav.

India's Test squad for England tour:

Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.