IND vs ENG: Jeetan Patel Reveals What England Cricket Team Is Expecting On The India Tour

England’s assistant coach Jeetan Patel in a recent interview, claimed that his side has to be and are ready to play in “Bunsens” (spin-friendly pitches) when the 5-match Test series begins from January 25th with the 1st Test set to take place at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.

Jeetan Patel thinks that he sees no reason why India won’t produce high-spinning tracks to their home advantage. He also defended the English team’s decision to undergo an 11-day camp in Abu Dhabi instead of playing warm-up games against substandard oppositions in India to prepare for the all-important series.

Patel stated that this particular decision has been made after thorough discussions and he feels that their preparation in UAE is going to prove beneficial. He also took note of Rohit Sharma’s comments on SENA countries’ double standards about home advantage where he said that they should not complain when India prepares spinning tracks.

Jeetan Patel further claimed that the players need volume practice in terms of bowling as well as batting and to prepare for the spin-friendly tracks over there, the English team has requested for a variety of pitches.

“Guys want volume, be it batting or bowling. But it’s going to be a fine line in terms of training for this one. I can’t see India not producing buns, especially after the recent comments from Rohit. And rightly so, that’s the whole point of home advantage. So we have requested a blend of pitches in Abu Dhabi.” – Jeetan Patel said.

The English contingent has an imperative task in hand in this Test series. Ben Stokes and Co. will be aiming to lead the Three Lions towards their first red-ball series win in India since 2012. The Three Lions have played 2 Test series here since then, once in 2016/17 (4-0) and in 2020/21 where they lost by 3-1.

Jeetan Patel Explains Why England Has Scheduled 11-Day Camp In Abu Dhabi

Former England cricketers like Steve Harmison and Mark Butcher have criticized the team’s decision to practice in Abu Dhabi for the series, stating that they should be ready for a heavy battering. But Jeetan Patel doesn’t agree with those points and believes that it is a measure that will keep the players fresh for the challenge.

The 5-match Test series will come to an end in mid-March and it is going to be a long tour in which the team will travel to 5 different venues across the country from South to West and then from West to East before heading up North for the conclusion.

“We want to challenge the guys but also ensure they arrive in India with enough confidence to be free enough to play how they want to play, to take the game on like they have over the last two years. It’s also a long tour. We want energy and excitement levels to be high when they hit that first Test, rather than being a fortnight into their time in the country and not as mentally fresh as they could be.” – Jeetan Patel concluded.