“I think the most important thing is that we have a good group of players,” Cheteshwar Pujara told the BCCI website during their practice match against Leicestershire on Wednesday. “We have excellent fast bowlers. The way people did here in the last four Test matches, I am sure people are eager to do the same thing again and if we can win this particular Test match and win the series over English. Clay, I think it will be one of India’s best wins.”
When the series was put on hold due to concerns related to Kovid, India held the upper hand. KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah propelled to a resounding victory at Lord’s on the last day. Rohit Sharma proved that his Test-match prowess is on par with his one-day brilliance with a defensive masterclass at The Oval. Jasprit Bumrah was brilliant throughout and the running of Mohammed Shami and Mohammad Siraj from the other end hardly took the pressure off.
But things are different now. With the arrival of Brendon McCullum as coach, and Ben Stokes promoted as captain, England have embraced a non-stop style of playing Test cricket that has already helped them make history. In only the second match under the new management, they beat world champions New Zealand in a chase of 299 runs in 50 overs. India may have the edge, but with most of their squad coming out of the season of T20 cricket, their opponents have already struggled to play for longer periods.
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“The good thing for us is that we are here early. There is a lot of time for all the players to prepare. And yes, if we play to our potential, if we stick to our strengths, then understand that we have to make a difference.” What we need and want as a team was what made us successful in the four Test matches that we played here, we just need to reiterate those things.
“But at the same time there are some changes in the England team. So we need to understand their strengths and then try and strategize – I’m sure the support staff and management will talk about the strategy later. But we have to Need to plan it’s good for this particular Test match.”
India defeated England in England in 2007, when they were captained by Rahul Dravid. After he was dropped for the home series against Sri Lanka in March, selectors turned to Pujara again after new eye catching performance in County Championship. The 34-year-old has extensive batting experience in seaming conditions, which he put to good use in April and May, scoring 720 runs in eight innings for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship.