Bowling is crucial to dominate India in India: England asst coach Graham Thorpe

Chennai

Adding teeth to the bowling unit, the current pace attack, irrespective of the personnel it possesses at a particular point in time, has made Virat Kohli’s side a force to reckon with in Tests. Its dazzling display with the red cherry was there for everyone to see during India’s previous home series against Bangladesh in 2019.

And, England assistant coach Graham Thorpe, whose boys could be at the receiving end of such fiery spells in the upcoming India tour, is totally aware of what’s in store. “India’s attack has developed into a very good one,” English legend Thorpe told reporters during a virtual press conference on Friday.

“When we come to the sub-continent, we have to deal with the spinners. But with the India attack, we know that the seam bowlers will be in play as well. In the training time, we will try to find a balance between practising spin and seam,” he said.

“The India bowling attack is not just about the spinners. Its seam unit is also strong. From that point of view, we should not get sidetracked into the spin side of things. There is no doubt in that,” added Thorpe, a veteran of 100 Test matches.

Following the historic triumph Down Under, Kohli’s men would be oozing with confidence heading into the four-match Test series, which begins at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the city on February 5. Thorpe, second in command to head coach Chris Silverwood, admitted that beating India on its own patch would be an arduous task.

“Playing against India in India is a real challenge. India has been playing really good cricket and is pretty strong at home. Also, India is coming on the back of a series win in Australia. For England, it presents a real challenge. Not everyone in our squad has toured Asia before. So, it will be a learning curve for some of them,” explained Thorpe.

“There is a hell of a lot of hard cricket ahead of us. I don’t think we are under any illusions about that. When you get to the highest level as a cricketer, these are matches where you want to test yourself in many ways. That is how I would sum it up. There is a lot of cricket in a different environment. But, it is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

According to Thorpe, England, which clinched a morale-boosting 2-0 series win over host Sri Lanka recently, will have to be on top of its game more often than not to pin down the India batters. “India’s batting unit understands its home conditions well. So, the key is to bowl our best as often as we can and put it under pressure,” said Thorpe.