On the eve of the first Test in Hyderabad, India skipper Rohit Sharma was strict in his stance, saying that India are focusing on their own game and not on how England would go about their business.
England’s Bazballers, under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, have gone about changing the way they play Test cricket, by giving freedom to their batters and being aggressive with the ball all the time. This has resulted in immense success for them. From winning only 1 Test in the last 17 Tests under Joe Root’s captaincy, England have won 13 out of 18 Tests under Stokes and McCullum.
The attacking mantra of the England batters against the Indian bowling attack is the much-awaited clash of this series.
Rohit Sharma, though, said he is “not interested” in how England would be playing, but rather all his focus is on his own team.
“We’ll look to play our cricket. I’m not interested in looking at how the opposition is going to play and all of that. For us, we must look into our cricket. Focus on what we need to do as a team and then take it from there,” Rohit Sharma said on the eve of the first Test.
India have not lost a home Test series for the past 11 years, winning 16 rubbers in a row.
Ashwin and Siraj have been important players for us: Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma hailed two of his bowlers, senior off-spinner R Ashwin and pacer Mohammed Siraj, as key figures in the bowling attack.
Siraj is coming off a sensational six-wicket haul in Cape Town, while Ashwin was the Player of the Series the last time India hosted England, in 2021.
“Ashwin and Siraj have been important players for us. Siraj has come through the ranks in the last two years, he has taken his game to another level. Ashwin is class, every time he takes the field he impresses all of us,” Rohit added.
Michael Atherton ” I think India will win. India has a better spinner than England and it’s going to be the deciding factor at the end. Spin is always a big factor in India and it’s always going to be. India has the four quality spinner” [Sky Sport]#INDvENG #Bazball #Ashwin… pic.twitter.com/LiK56M8S1m
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) January 21, 2024
Also Read: IND vs ENG: James Anderson Excluded From 1st Test; Ben Stokes Explains The Reason
