“Indian team will aim for 5-0” - Former Indian cricketers share their insights on upcoming India-England Test series

Team India will be hosting England for a five-match Test series starting on January 25th and with two big countries facing off, a lot of factors will come to play. Undoubtedly, India will house a psychological advantage as the hosts, but with the World Test Championship points on the line, there’s a lot at stake.

In an exclusive show called Insiders Preview on Jio Cinema, former Indian cricketers came together for a detailed discussion over the entire series and how the five-match series could pan out.

Talking on the approach of the two teams, Zaheer Khan said, “You don’t often see a five-Test series taking place these days. Bazball will remain in focus, and we’ll see whether England’s approach will remain the same. The kind of pitches that we’ll be playing on will also be another point of discussion for sure. But both teams will be eager to prove their supremacy.”

Shedding some light on Bazball, Pragyan Ojha said, “Bazball involves playing fearless cricket and England tries to gain a psychological edge using this strategy. Executing Bazball will be difficult in India because it won’t be easy to play the Indian spinners or for that matter Jasprit Bumrah and the other pace bowlers.”

Parthiv Patel chimed in with what India’s focus should be, adding, “I think the Indian team will aim for 5-0. I think they need a 4-0 win to get to the top of the WTC standings. Looking at the last cycle, India won a lot of overseas Tests. I don’t think India needs to change their approach. It’s the visiting teams that have to come up with different strategies. It remains to be seen whether Bazball will work here or not. If the ball spins, I don’t think it will work here because there’s too much quality in India’s spin attack that includes Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.”

Parthiv Patel concluded the show with a take on the pitches, stating, “I think every venue will have its own character. We may see similar tracks in Hyderabad and Vizag. In Rajkot, if they prepare a good wicket, we may see a lot of runs being scored. Their fast bowlers can hope to get some help in Dharamsala. At every venue, how many runs they get in the first innings, will be crucial. Winning the toss too will be crucial for them. If they lose the toss, it will be very difficult for them to come back.”