All eyes on Chepauk’s turning wicket as England takes on India in second T20I
"We’ve played only one game so far, so we’ll see what happens," Brook said at the pre-match press conference. "The Indian spinners are obviously very good, but we’ll see how things go tomorrow night."
Mohammed Shami bowling in the nets during practice session Jos Buttler during a nets session
CHENNAI: After a humbling defeat in the opening T20I at Eden Gardens, England will be aiming to bounce back in the second match of the series against India in Chennai on Saturday.
The English top order, with the exception of the experienced Jos Buttler, crumbled under the pressure of India’s spin-heavy attack. Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel combined to wreak havoc, bagging five wickets between them and leaving England’s batters in disarray.
Despite England’s lack of exposure to spin bowling at their home, Harry Brook dismissed any concerns ahead of the second match. Though most of the English players have considerable experience playing in India through their stints in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, that familiarity didn’t seem to help much in the opening match.
"We’ve played only one game so far, so we’ll see what happens," Brook said at the pre-match press conference. "The Indian spinners are obviously very good, but we’ll see how things go tomorrow night."
While England's struggles against the spinners were evident, they’ll also have to contend with India's pace attack. Arshdeep Singh, who has been in scintillating form, surpassed Yuzvendra Chahal as India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is after his impressive performance on Wednesday. Singh, who is just three wickets away from becoming the fastest Indian pace bowler to reach 100 T20I wickets, will be another key threat for the visitors.
India, for their part, has continued to adopt a fearless approach to T20 cricket, experimenting with new combinations since Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav took charge. England, fresh off series wins against the West Indies and New Zealand, will be looking to stifle India’s momentum and prevent the Suryakumar-led unit from building on their series win over South Africa last November.
One of the most intriguing storylines heading into the Chennai match is the doubtfulness surrounding the inclusion of speedster Mohammed Shami, who was left out of the playing XI in Kolkata. Shami, returning from a lengthy injury layoff, has played a few domestic matches and is expected to be an important part of India’s plans for the upcoming Champions Trophy in February. With just seven matches remaining before the global event, it will be interesting to see whether Shami makes the cut for Saturday’s match.