Sachin Tendulkar is happy to see international cricket return to India after the COVID-19 pandemic and the lengthy lockdown that followed. Excited to have England come over to play in a 4-Test series followed by an ODI and T20 series, Tendulkar is confident that despite both teams coming off after winning against Australia and Sri Lanka respectively, hosts India still have an edge over England.
“Both teams are starting this series on a very positive note, with a lot of energy. There is no better tonic than a victory. Both teams will go all out but I feel India is a far better, balanced team, and know conditions better. So, I think we should be able to come out as winners,” he said in an interaction with THE WEEK.
“Both teams will be bubbling with confidence. India has the home advantage. India has also returned from a great win in Australia. There is no better tonic than a victory; your mindset changes when you feel from a hopeless situation too you can pull it off.”
But Tendulkar is wary of England's adaptability and ability to surprise India. “This England team has depth and talent. Ollie Pope is also there! So, from whatever I have seen, they have a strong team. Skipper Joe Root himself has been a succesful player all across the world. He will like to play this series at a different level.
All eyes, in fact, will be on Root and Virat Kohli—two of the best batsmen of this era. “Both are world-class players. Virat's progress has been terrific. The hunger and drive to get better and perform which he has... without that any top-class player cannot succeed. The drive has to be there.
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“I remember watching Joe Root in his first Test match and couple of people asked me about him. I said he is sharp, and understands how to rotate strike and you are possibly looking at the future captain of England. Where they are in world cricket today, is remarkeable.”
One of the main reasons for Root's success in this part of the world is his ability to counter the Indian spinners with his highly effective sweep shot. “I feel most of successful batters against Indian spinners in India have played good sweep shots. The footwork has to be precise, and the intent has to be aggressive,” Tendulkar said.
As much as the focus will be on how the English batsmen play the Indian spinners, England's bowling attack is expected to test the Indian batsmen who are generally considered good against spinners. Tendulkar shared a few insights into bowling in Indian conditions. “When you are bowling in India, you need to understand what batters like; how to keep things under control. The spinners who have bowled well in India have always been the ones who had the tendency to bowl marginally faster because back home their conditions don't have much to offer in terms of spin.”
The English bowling attack primarily revolves around their pace attack, which is led by veteran James Anderson. So, what are the challenges they can pose to the Indian line-up? “In India, I have always noticed that the ball starts to reverse swing from the 15th-20th over onward to 60th over. That is when the ball is relatively hard; so, it tends to swing through. Post 60 overs, the ball will still reverse but it gets soft which gives the batters a little more time to adjust. So, during this period, one needs to focus and build partnerships.”
