India vs England 2021: Sachin Tendulkar Points Out The Differences Between England's Current Spin Attack To That Of 2012

Legendary India batsman, Sachin Tendulkar compares the spinners of the current England team to that of the one which won the Test series in India in 2012. Led by Sir Alastair Cook, England registered a come-from-behind victory after losing the first Test and winning the next couple – it was also the last time India lost a home Test series.

Joe Root, who made his Test debut in the 2012 series, is now leading the Three Lions against Virat Kohli’s side to repeat Cook’s feat and end India’s home invincibility.

Sachin Tendulkar opines that Graeme Swann was one of the premier spinners in the world at that time and Monty Panesar was smart in his bowling to not give flight instead of fire in his deliveries. Tendulkar compares Panesar’s bowling style with that of Jack Leach, who is the current leader of England’s spin attack, and says that the Leach offers air to his deliveries and is very different from Panesar.

The 47-year-old reckons Leach should vary his pace when he bowls to the Indian batters in order to keep them on their toes. He believes that if the pitch is offering turn, which in Indian conditions it will, then bowling with more pace will give the batsman less time to react – something which the duo of Swann and Panesar effectively did picking up 37 wickets combined.

“That (one in 2012) was a different attack, and Graeme Swann was one of the leading spinners in the world back then. Monty, given the style of bowling, he was not one of those bowlers who believed in tossing up the ball. He was more of a hit the deck bowler. Monty would really bowl fast, so it was completely different and Jack Leach, unlike Monty, I think he is slightly slowish bowler,” Sachin Tendulkar told PTI.

“Whatever I have seen, he bowls at that same pace. So if the wicket is offering turn and considerable help, then varying your pace does matter because then batsmen get much lesser time to react, something that Swann and Monty effectively did with us in 2012,” he added.

Fast bowlers are going to play a big role, the reverse swing could be a factor: Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, who lead the batting run charts in Tests and ODIs, feels that reverse swing could be observed soon in the game. Hence, making the pacers important.

For India, Jasprit Bumrah is making his maiden Test appearance on the Indian soli and Ishant Sharma returns to the eleven after missing the Australia tour. The visitors have picked James Anderson and Jofra Archer as their frontline pacers with the support of Ben Stokes, leaving Stuart Broad, with 517 Test scalps on the bench.

“I think fast bowlers are going to play a big role here, and more so, reverse swing could be a factor. I believe that the ball will reverse from 15th over to 60th over. When the ball reverses, it skids off the surface and there is less reaction time. From 60-80th over, ball can still reverse but due to its softness, the batsmen find more time to adjust off the surface,” he further said.

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