Not convinced with India’s preparation for Test series, says Mohinder Amarnath

08/01/2018

Former Indian cricketer, Mohinder Amarnath has said that he is not convinced with India’s preparation for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. He has stated that a limited-overs series and a three-day practice game won’t offer the ideal preparation for Test matches.

India started their tour with a 2-1 T20I series victory against England followed by a disappointing 1-2 loss in the ODI series. After the limited-overs leg, India cut short their four-day practice game to a three-day encounter. Shikhar Dhawan registered a pair of ducks in the warm-up game against Essex while Pujara managed to score 24 in two innings post his unforgettable County season with Yorkshire. On the other hand, the team did not have a satisfactory warm-up game ahead of the Test series.

Amarnath stated that playing the red-ball in English conditions with the ball swinging and seaming throughout the day is one of cricket’s toughest challenges if seen from the batsman’s perspective. He felt that India will be challenged in the series and it will be a test of their temperament and technique.

“It is great that India are playing a five-match series in England as it will be a real test of their temperament and technique. I feel playing red-ball cricket in English conditions is one of the toughest challenges from a batting point of view,” Amarnath said in the show Game Plan.

Considering the current warm conditions in England, Amarnath was not convinced with India’s decision of cutting short their practice game by a day and felt that that was in the favour of the visitors.

“At present, England is experiencing a warm summer which means India should feel confident going into the first Test match. Ironically, India played a three-day warm-up game instead of four and apart from that, they have not had a good preparatory phase before the Tests. I am not convinced with India’s preparation for the Test series. These are the players who play in 40-plus degree Celsius during the IPL,” he added.

Amarnath had high expectations from the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli and said that he (Kohli) has grown a lot in the past four years. He further said that the form of Dhawan and Pujara might concern the team. However, the bowling department seemed good according to him considering the likes of Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja.

“The other concern is India’s batting order. Dhawan and Pujara’s form might concern the team as well. But, Virat has grown over the years and is a matured batsman right now. I expect him to perform well. On the other hand, the bowling department looks good with Ishant at the helm and it might be wise to use Ashwin and Jadeja as the spinners,” Amarnath stated.

The analyst finally concluded by stating England to start as the favourites to win the series due to the presence of their experienced batsmen, Joe Root and Alastair Cook.

“England do start as favourites. Joe Root is a great batsman and considering the presence of Cook and Bairstow, I feel their batting line-up has a good base,” he concluded.

Not convinced with India’s preparation for Test series, says Mohinder Amarnath

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