The IND vs ENG Test series is just round the corner. With both teams to go full throttle at each other, it all boils down to which team understands and plays better according to the pitch conditions. It is expected that India pitches will be dry and favour turn. However, former Proteas great Graeme Smith believes that Brendon McCullem and Ben Stokes with their Bazball will be ready to counter India.
Pitch conditions have often come under the scanner. Rohit Sharma recently ranted after the Cape Town Test that he has no problem in fast pitches and Tests ended in less than 2 days. But there shouldn’t be double standards when the other teams face turning pitches in India and then go on to complain about the same.
The England Team currently is in Abu Dhabi to begin their preparatory camp for the upcoming IND vs ENG Test series. “I think it’s a given that you can expect dry surfaces in India. For England under Ben and Baz, they don’t just play silly cricket. They’re obviously looking to play a real positive brand of cricket but there’s a lot of thought and brains. I know Baz well, he’s a deep thinker about the game and a creative thinker, so he’ll be strategising and thinking,” Graeme Smith told Betway.
Talking about England’s approach to the game, Smith pointed out that the Three Lions try to put their opponents in difficult situations, By inserting pressure England forces their opponents to make mistakes and capitalise on the same.
On the other hand, Smith claimed that India is extremely strong on home turf. Thus it will be interesting to see what plan and strategy England builds to counter Rohit Sharma and his boys.
“What England try to do is to put teams under pressure and make mistakes. The thing that India have is experience and an incredible confidence playing in their own backyard. They’re very successful at it, so it’s going to be interesting to see if this approach works for England,” Smith concluded.
Editors pick
