Ravindra Jadeja's out of England Test series due to fractured thumb.
Former England cricketer and commentator Mark Butcher said Joe Root and his team would be happy not to face India’s quality all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the first two Tests of the upcoming four-Test series starting with the first Test on February 5 in Chennai.
Praising Jadeja, who will miss the first two Tests of the upcoming home Test series as he is still recovering from the thumb injury, Butcher said his presence in India’s XI adds a different dimension to their bowling attack and England will be certainly happy not to face him.
However, the former opening batsman has reckoned that the skipper Root and all-rounder Ben Stokes must set all guns blazing in Indian conditions to have their best chances against the hosts in the upcoming Test series, which will be followed by 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
Butcher told Times of India, “England will be buoyed by Jadeja's absence. India possesses a world-class bowling attack but Jadeja adds a different dimension to it. Both have played in India and are class acts. If Root and Stokes score, England will fancy their chances.”
On being asked how England should prepare for the R Ashwin threat, the 48-year-old said: “I don't think India or England are one-man teams. England batsmen will prepare not only for Ashwin but also for other Indian bowlers. The same will be the case for the Indian players as well.”
He added, “The key for success in India is to be patient as the conditions will be challenging. The English batsmen will be watching videos of Indian bowlers and doing their homework in order to be ready.”
Meanwhile, Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley opened for England in the recent Test series in England in the absence of Rory Burns, who missed the tour to attend the birth of his first child, but Butcher feels the tourists should continue with their regular starting pair of Burns and Sibley in India.
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He noted, “Burns and Sibley are the ones doing the job for some time and they should be opening in the first Test. A left-right combination is handy and England will want to stick with them. If they get off to a good start, the rest of the batsmen too will gain confidence and it lifts the mood of the dressing room.”
Butcher also believes that England won’t find it difficult to acclimatize to Indian conditions having just back from Sri Lankan Tests. He signed off by saying, “The conditions in Chennai are very similar to what England players would have encountered in Sri Lanka. So those who played in the two-Test series in Sri Lanka will get acclimatized easily.”