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India have been unbeaten in the 16 Test series (lost only 3 out of 46 Tests) they have played at home since the 2012 contest against England that they lost 1-2. It’s an enviable record.
That Alastair Cook-led England side was coached by Andy Flower, who is currently guiding Gulf Giants in the ILT20 league. While being a fan of England’s current belligerent brand of Test cricket, Flower believes they will be severely tested by India’s skilful bowling attack on turning pitches. In an interview, he also talks about using the sweep shot on turners.
Excerpts:
How do you look back at the 2012 series? India have been unbeaten at home since.
I am surprised. It’s an amazing record India has. It is one of our proudest records. Winning in India is as tough as winning in Australia. I have very fond memories of that tour. Cook and Kevin Pietersen were outstanding with the bat. Our spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, for them to out-spin Indian spinners was an outstanding achievement.
Are you surprised at the success England under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have had despite the risks involved?
It has surprised me. It’s been great to watch. Even when I was involved with Australia during the last Ashes, I felt it was really interesting cricket. There’s a lot happening quite quickly. It’s going to be fascinating to watch the very interesting tussle between India’s class bowlers – both spinners and seamers — and the English batting line-up that is going to attack. I’m looking forward to it.
It can be argued that someone like Joe Root may lose a chance to score big trying to be hyper-aggressive.
I think Root will flex his batting style depending on the conditions. He is a beautiful player of spin. He can sweep well. He can use his feet. He can hit them over the top. But he has also got that nice and soft defence. So, he can really manoeuvre the ball where the fielders aren’t.
Some of the other batters will be tested more. One of the interesting things to watch for some of the more attacking England batters is whether they can defend when they need to, because a crucial part of building an innings on turning tracks is showing the opposing spinners that you are comfortable defending. Are they capable of that? If they aren’t, you are forced to attack and become predictable. That’s when the really skilful bowlers’ chances increase.
Even the Indian batters don’t face that much spin these days. Do you expect both teams to use the sweep shot heavily?
I certainly foresee the England batters using a lot of sweeps. The Indians play a lot more conventional game against spin. But even the Indian batters can be vulnerable against spin on turning tracks like any other. It depends on the quality of the spinners you are taking on.
You were a master of the sweep and reverse sweep. How do you decide when to use the shot?
If the ball is not turning much, the necessity of playing sweeps and reverse sweeps goes down. You can play with a straight bat and feel secure. As it turns more, you will play less straight. You will then use the angle of the ball to your advantage. Those are fairly obvious principles around which you operate. Those who are over-reliant on sweep become predictable. You must develop the rest of your game, whether it is your defensive game or scoring in other areas well enough, so that you can choose when to use the sweep rather than being forced into using it.
Can you predict the series scoreline and the batter who will play spin the best?
I am not doing prediction, but I would be surprised if England beat India in India. They are an outstanding and confident side in their own conditions, very well coached by Rahul Dravid. India has an outstanding attack. We talk a lot about their spinners, but their seamers are outstanding too and we must not underplay the danger they hold.
I would say Root would be the most successful in India. I love his game and he is a very important guy for England. In the Indian batting line-up, I am not sure. I will reserve my judgement.
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