India Vs England 2021: I Began Bowling Like Anil Kumble To Feel I Was In The Game, Says Stuart Broad

The England pacer Stuart Broad said that he had to channelize his inner Anil Kumble during the second Test match of the ongoing four-match series against India, in order to feel that he was contributing something to the match and that he was in the game.

India defeated England by 317 runs in the second Test match in Chennai, after losing the first by 227 runs, which was also played in Chennai. England had brought in Stuart Broad for James Anderson, but India batted beautifully on a pitch that turned from day one and put the opposition in a bind.

Stuart Broad had gone wicketless in that match against India, despite him trying everything on a pitch that the England experts and former cricketers criticized to be unsuitable for Test cricket, just because it spun from the first ball on day one.

I Went Anil Kumble And Started To Get The Leg-Cutter Going: Stuart Broad

For India Ravichandran Ashwin and Akshar Patel picked five-wicket hauls in the match and Ashwin even scored his 5^th Test century, aiding India put up a 482-run target for England. For England, Moeen Ali was the best bowler, picking 4 wickets in each innings.

“Personally, there should be more for me to work with if selected (In the pink ball Test). There was nothing in the Chennai pitch on that first day and it was only when I went Anil Kumble and started to get the leg-cutter really jagging off the surface that I felt in the game,” Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Broad meant that instead of using the traditional methods of moving the ball in the air and off the pitch, he took a cue from India bowling legend Anil Kumble, who deceived the batsmen more with his pace and length than flight and turn, which is why it was perhaps easier for Broad to try and implement it despite being a seamer.

He also said that the England team had no criticism of the Chennai pitch for the second Test match. He said that why wouldn’t India play on pitches that turn from day one and have an advantage in their favour.

Also Read: We Play On Seaming Tracks When We Go Overseas, Cheteshwar Pujara Responds On Chennai Pitch Debate