Zak Crawley shared initial impressions of the Visakhapatnam pitch, noting it appears more favorable for the seam, expressing that the surface seems damper and greener.
Following an unexpected loss in the first Test against England in Hyderabad, there is significant speculation about the pitch for the upcoming second game in Visakhapatnam starting on February 02. The surprise defeat in the series opener, where England mounted a remarkable comeback after being 190 runs behind in the first innings, has prompted expectations that the Indian team management will create an even more challenging rank turner for the second match to trouble the England batters with spin.
However, England opener Zak Crawley offered his initial impressions of Visakhapatnam’s surface, noting it appears more favorable for seam and a bit greener.
“So, this wicket looks a bit better to seam, according to the guys, I haven’t seen it, like I said, but that’s what they said. It’s just a bit damper, I think here it seems like they’re a bit greener, so we’ll see what happens there,” Crawley was quoted as saying by News18.
Crawley also shared insights into England’s strategy against Indian spinners, emphasizing the use of both reverse sweep and sweep based on the field setup. He believes these shots negate the spin’s impact, especially when played well, as seen with Ollie Pope.
“I think sweeping and reverse sweeping when it’s spinning is a good option. It takes the spin out of it, kind of. If you can get to the pitch, bit like Pope did so well. And I think the reverse sweep is more common for us because there are just fewer fields there. They always seem to have two men out on the leg side. If they had two men out on the offside, we’d probably play the sweep; kind of just trying to hit in the gaps and the sweep, their reverse sweep comes probably just as naturally to us as a normal sweep,” he added.
Additionally, Crawley mentioned that Jack Leach, despite a knee injury during the first Test, remains a potential player for the second Test in Visakhapatnam. Leach, though injured, still bowled in the second innings of the Hyderabad Test.
India faces a challenging task to rebound in the series, especially with key players KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of the second game. Captain Rohit Sharma aims to silence critics while leading an inexperienced batting lineup in the upcoming match.
Last Updated on January 31, 2024
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