EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsAfter a long wait following the World Test Championship final, India and England will engage in a five-match Test series from August 4 in Nottingham. The marquee series of the summer, in fact the only Test series for England before the Ashes, will have a lot of sub-plots waiting to be explored, but as James Anderson revealed in the press conference, the pitch talk will not die down soon.
Earlier this year, when England travelled India for a four-match Test series, the home side dished out turning pitches and England batsmen were brutally found out. As the new series beckons, it is speculated that England would dish out grassy pitches to test the visitors.
Joining on Cricket.com’s “India’s English Summer”, legendary English skipper David Gower stated that it would be challenging for both sides.
“I would love England to be favourites,” Gower told Cricket.com. “But the head says that it is going to be even stevens. Now a days one of the things that is very different in world cricket is home advantage. Apart from odd exceptions, home advantage is not what it used to be. You look at the various strengths and weaknesses and you look at the way teams travel the world so much anyway. The conditions are pretty much familiar wherever you go. England would of course try to exact revenge for the series loss a few months ago, but one thing I can promise you, with a hand on heart and a smile on the face, that the conditions will be a little different.
"We don’t know what kind of pitch Trent Bridge would offer. There are speculations and I suggested earlier, there wouldn’t be dry, grass-less, flat, and turning pitches. They will be potentially good pitches with a bit of grass on them. Both teams have a strong bowling attack and they will look to capitalise on the pitches on offer. All selection questions remain open till captains and coaches see the pitch in the morning.”
In the World Test Championship final in June, New Zealand batters frustrated the Indians with their carefully planned maneuvers whereas the Indian pacers failed to hit the right length. Gower suggested that it is one of the very important aspects that the visiting side need to be worried about in order to dominate the Englishmen.
“India has been in England for almost two months now. I would advise them to learn the lesson from the World Test Championship final. Because I guess it is universally agreed that India has a very good seam-bowling line-up. But if there was an issue or complaint about their bowling in that game, perhaps they took a lot of time to hit the right length. That experience must have been noted,” Gower added.