ENG vs IND 2018: Managing workload will be the biggest challenge, says Stuart Broad

Broad is England's second highest wicket-taker in Test matches.

Stuart Broad (Getty)

England's second highest Test wicket-taker, Stuart Broad thinks that apart from having to bowl at some gifted batsmen, managing the workload will his biggest challenge across the upcoming 5-Tests series against India. Broad, who has been an excellent exploit of swing and seam movement over the years, thinks playing such a long series in a short span of time - six and half weeks to be precise - will be the toughest obstacle for him and other fast bowlers that England have.

Looking forward to the series that starts in a couple of days, Broad said, "That(workload) will always depend on tosses, pitches, workloads, If the first two Test matches, you're fielding for 250 overs in each, it's completely unrealistic to think your fast-bowlers will play five Test matches in six weeks. But if you have an innings where you bowl a team out in 80 overs, that completely changes your thinking."

"There's already been small conversations about not being disheartened if you are left out for a match. It's not a personal dropping, it's a management of your bowlers to make sure we give ourselves the best chance. I don't think it's going to get to a stage where if I am left out at Lord's, I'll go back and play county cricket. It's natural to expect small changes over the course of five Test matches and the bowlers have to be able to take it."

Specifying plans for the Indian Captain and opposition's best batsman, Virat Kohli, Broad said, "The history of Test cricket will suggest that if you hold the top of off-stump longer than anyone else, you'll have success, We have done some research on a few of their batters already. I don't think there's anything that stands out [about Kohli's technique]. If you're playing against someone like [former South African captain] Graeme Smith, a very different technique, you have to bowl quite differently at him than you would most left-handers. I don't think Kohli's technique is unorthodox in that way."

"It doesn't make it easier. It just means your plans can be simpler and you've got to out-patience world class players at both ends. I really don't agree with theories that one particular bowler might be able to target a certain batsman. With a world-class batsman, you've got to create that atmosphere and theatre from both ends to add pressure to that sort of quality. That is when you get the mistake. As a bowling unit we've got to make it as hard for all of their batsmen, but particularly a key player like Virat."

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 30 Jul, 2018

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