"I'll have to be..." - Mark Wood reveals lethal plan to dismiss Rohit Sharma

England pacer Mark Wood revealed his strategy to get India captain Rohit Sharma out in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. He believes that he needs to be accurate with his short ball to get the opening batter out. 

Mark Wood will be one of the vital cogs in the wheel for England in the upcoming five-match series against India. The fast bowler has played a part in the team’s success in Tests in the last few months both at home as well as overseas. 

The raw pace of Mark Wood has troubled many batters in the World and it won’t be a surprise if that will be the case with Indian batters this time around. One of the key battles to watch out for in the upcoming series will be between Wood and India skipper Rohit Sharma. 

Mark Wood loves bowling lethal short balls whereas, on the other hand, Rohit Sharma enjoys hitting bouncers equally out of the park. The two of the late have had the upper hand on each other many times. They will be up against each other once again from 25th January, when the first match will begin in Hyderabad.

Mark Wood said that he will be assessing the conditions and said that even if the pitch plays slow, they have have strategy for it. He also talked about his short ball plans to Rohit Sharma. Speaking to reporters in a press conference, he stated: 

“Yeah, the conditions will be assessed once I am out there, and bumps (bouncers) are rarely bought out here. But the pitch sometimes can be two-paced and, if it is slow, it can help (bowlers) because the batters will be through with the shot. 

“Someone like Rohit, I know how good he is on the short ball. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I wouldn’t bowl a bouncer. It just means that I’ll have to be really accurate with it and bowl at the right time.” 

Mark Wood further added that his team will be looking up to cash the opportunities and believes that along with being aggressive, they need to be smart. He elaborated: 

“I think we’ll still look to take the game on. I think at times it’s been smart though, you know, to consolidate it in and then when the chance comes to put the pressure back on (India). 

“I guess it’s all about soaking up that pressure when needed, maybe when the Indian batsmen are on top. We have to soak up that pressure and create a bit of a theatre or drama on the field and then when it’s time, attack again. That’s the same with bat and ball.” 

“I think we’ve prepped really well in Abu Dhabi – Mark Wood 

Ahead of their arrival in India, England had a camp in Abu Dhabi and put in hard yards there. Mark Wood talked about the preparations, saying that they made pitches according to Indian conditions there. He also added that they will be heading into the Test series mentally and physically fresh. He explained: 

“I think we’ve prepped really well in Abu Dhabi. We’ve made pitches, we’ve scuffed pitches up to make them spin, we’ve put sand down to make it spin, we’ve had flat pitches to practice simple and reverse swing. So, we’ve had all the facilities available in Abu Dhabi. 

“It was also good to switch off there as well. We had a good team bonding session. So, we’ve come here fresh mentally and physically and ready to go.” 

Both teams have been putting hard yards to prepare for the series. Of late, India and England have been sensational in Tests and therefore it promises to enthralling series.