Former England seamer Steve Harmison has expressed skepticism about the current Indian batting lineup, suggesting it lacks the intimidation factor of the past. With stalwarts like Rahane and Pujara absent, the team features relatively inexperienced players. Harmison questioned the potential of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill in Test cricket despite their success in limited-overs formats.
While acknowledging India’s strength with Kohli and Rohit, Harmison highlighted vulnerabilities that England may target. Reflecting on his playing days against India’s formidable lineup of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid, and Laxman, Harmison questioned if the current lineup is as imposing.
“India will fancy their chances in their own environment, especially with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in their batting line-up. England, though, will feel that there are some vulnerabilities in that batting line-up. When I toured India, you had those big batters in the likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman – all stellar players. I am not sure if it’s as intimidating as it was back in the day,” Harmison said to IANS.
“Shubman Gill is a very talented player and Yashasvi Jaiswal is a good player, so as Shreyas Iyer. But I don’t think there are more of established international players in red-ball as compared to white-ball set-up,” he added.
Harmison also highlighted England’s batting vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for Joe Root and Ben Stokes to carry the run-scoring responsibility in a relatively inexperienced lineup. While acknowledging talents like Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley, Harmison stressed the pressure on Root and Stokes to deliver consistently.
“A lot of their success with the bat will be largely down to Joe Root having one of his better series because he’s the best player of spin in the current line-up, and is amongst the modern-day great players of this generation alongside Kohli, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson,” he explained.
The inaugural Test is scheduled for January 25 in Hyderabad, with the subsequent matches set to unfold in Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala.
Last Updated on January 19, 2024
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