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The former England captain Michael Atherton, one of the foremost voices in cricket, has given his verdict for upcoming five-match Test series in India. The 55-year-old predicted that India will win against England because their spinners are better than the visitors, and it will be the “defining thing” when the Test series is said and done.
The Indian Test squad boasts some of the best spinners in the world currently, including the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, who have dominated opposition teams in home Tests for many years. England have also brought four spinners on the Test tour, but apart from Jack Leach, no one else has any experience of playing in India, including Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, and Rehan Ahmed.
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In his chat with Sky Sports, Michael Atherton was blunt in his assessment about how India versus England five-match Test series will go. He was quoted as saying, “I think India will win. Their spinners are better than England’s and that will be the defining thing in the end. If you go to India, spin will play a big part, it historically has done and I suspect it always will do. India do have a very strong seam attack as well.
Michael Atherton also compared the Indian spinners with England spinners to drive home his point, and said, “India’s four spinners are very different to England’s. They have two left-arm finger spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. They have a wrist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the greatest spinners of all time.”
“England have a solid left-arm spinner in Jack Leach and then three very inexperienced spinners after that with Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed. It will be a particular challenge for them but the selectors see a high ceiling for them,” he added.
Moreover, just days before the first India versus England Test match is set to begin at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 25, both the team managements have to alter their squads a bit. For England, Dan Lawrence has replaced Harry Brook, who has withdrawn from the Test series due to personal reasons, and in a latest, the former Indian captain Virat Kohli has also withdrawn from the first two Test due to personal reasons, with his replacement yet to be announced.
