Parthiv Patel Makes 5-0 Claim Ahead Of India vs England Test Series

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel thinks that because of the spinning conditions, India will aim for a clean sweep to improve their position in the World Test Championship table, and England’s Bazball strategy will fail. India and England will face each other in a five-match Test series starting on January 25. England was the last side to win a Test series in India back in 2012 when they won the series by 2-1 under the leadership of Alastair Cook.

The biggest challenge for England will be to emulate their Bazball strategy on spin-friendly conditions in India. The English players are not good against spin except a few who have a knack for playing good cricket against spinners. The duo of captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum is yet to taste defeat in a Test series since the mindset was changed for England in Test cricket and Bazball started.

However, former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel feels that India will aim for a 5-0 series win against England. The reason for the same will be to overtake Australia and grab the top position on the WTC Points Table. He also thinks that England will have to come up with different strategies as the quality of spin attack that India has will be too good against Bazball.

“I think the Indian team will aim for 5-0. I think they need a 4-0 win to get to the top of the WTC standings. Looking at the last cycle, India won a lot of overseas Tests. I don’t think India needs to change their approach. It’s the visiting teams that have to come up with different strategies. It remains to be seen whether Bazball will work here or not. If the ball spins, I don’t think it will work here because there’s too much quality in India’s spin attack that includes Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep.”

The First Innings Total Will Play A Huge Part In The Test Series, Feels Parthiv Patel

The first match of the five-match series will be played in Hyderabad starting on January 25. The other four games will be played in Vishakhapatnam (February 2-6), Rajkot (February 15-19), Ranchi (February 23-27) and Dharamsala (March 7-11).

Parthiv Patel also feels toss and first-innings runs will play a crucial role in the series. “I think every venue will have its own character. We may see similar tracks in Hyderabad and Vizag. In Rajkot, if they prepare a good wicket, we may see a lot of runs being scored.”

“Their fast bowlers can hope to get some help in Dharamsala. At every venue, how many runs they get in the first innings, will be crucial. Winning the toss too will be crucial for them. If they lose the toss, it will be very difficult for them to come back,” he concluded.

England will look to recreate what they did in 2012 but this time the Indian team is not easy to beat and the hosts will use the home conditions to full advantage and better their position on the WTC table. India has won 16 consecutive Test series at home since the 2012 loss against England and this will be the 17th if they win.