I Think India Got Into Too Much of a Survival Mode in England - Aamir Sohail

Team India won their 7^th Asia Cup title, as they defeated Bangladesh by three wickets on the final delivery of the match to lift the trophy. However, despite the victory, the demons of England will still not get over India pretty easily. However, former Pakistan all-rounder, Aamir Sohail revealed an interesting tactic which he used while playing in England.

Sohail wanted to dissect the Indian batting technique. He stated how they got overcommitted in getting themselves to the front foot and there was no way back for them.

However, it is the kind of information which are available in every coach’s handbook. For that Aamir Sohail decided to share a secret which helped him achieve success in challenging conditions like England.

Aamir Sohail shares a secret

“I’ll share a secret,” he says, “In England, I never thrashed bowlers whom I found easy to handle,” Sohail was quoted as saying by the Mumbai Mirror.

When asked whether or not it was against the cricketing wisdom and it denied him a few crucial runs. In reply, Sohail said he always wanted the more comfortable bowler to keep bowling, so he used to create the impression that he was not on top of them. On the other side, he would target the better bowlers to put him off-length.

“I wanted the ordinary bowlers to bowl more to me,” he adds. “If I was comfortable against them, why would I want them to be taken off? I’d create the impression that I wasn’t on top of them. In doing so, I was actually making life easier for me. But I’d sensibly attack the most difficult bowler to put him off length. You have to make the best deviate from the very plan that gives them success. Take middle-stump guard to hit them towards leg. Make space on the leg-side to squirt the off-…basically, put them off their game,” Sohail said.

India went into the defensive mode in England feels Aamir Sohail

It must be noted that the former Pakistan batsman was never able to prepare himself specifically against the Dukes Ball.

“We were self-taught,” Sohail reminds. “I learned watching Wasim Raja. What aggression.”

Aamir Sohail feels India went into too much of a survival mode in England which worked wonders for the hosts. Despite giving tough competition to England, they again ended up losing yet another series quite convincingly in the end.

“I thought India got into too much of a survival mode in England. Cheteshwar Pujara tied himself into knots. Shikhar Dhawan was not his usual self, too watchful, too uninhibited for his own good. Bar Virat Kohli, the rest lacked balance in their approach,” Aamir Sohail concluded.