Former Pakistani captain Ramiz Raja feels that England has traditionally been a better traveling team to the sub-continent and said that they scheduled their tours perfectly and have done better than other teams
England cricket team, who recently whitewashed Sri Lanka in the Test series, are set for a long tour against India starting from the first week of February. They are slated to play 4 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 5 T20Is matches against India in India.
However, England under the captaincy of Alastair Cook managed to win series in India 2-1 in 2012 and was the last overseas team that has won a Test series in India back then.
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Reflecting on the India-England series Ramiz Raja said it's a series between two top Test sides.
"It is a series between the top two Test sides because Australia has been beaten at home and I like the New Zealand team because of their captain (Kane Williamson) but I think on overseas tours, England have done better than them," Ramiz Raja told a YouTube channel.
Raja pointed out that England had always had a different take on how to play in the subcontinent from other teams and schedule their tours better than other teams.
"England scheduled their tours perfectly. They have gone to India after playing in Sri Lanka so they are accustomed now to subcontinent conditions. England will take confidence from their series win in Sri Lanka and it will be a good series," he said.
However, Team India despite having a flurry of injuries to their first-choice cricketers recorded one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the game against Australia and will be high on confidence which will make it an even bigger challenge for England.
Addressing the same Raja heaped up praise for Indian youngsters who stood up in Australia after injuries to their first-choice cricketers and said that with Virat Kohli returning to the side, Team India will be high on confidence.
"The good thing is that India's second and third tier of players have also stood up in Australia and they have won a second series down under. So you can imagine their confidence level now with their main players and Virat Kohli back as well." Ramiz Raja said.
Ramiz Raja further credited Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri for the enviable situation Indian cricket finds itself in.
"Kohli has brought passion and aggression to this team but I think they needed a person like Rahane after the Adelaide debacle to calm things down and he did it well. I also give credit to Shastri for maintaining a pro-active environment in the dressing room and not let morale down of players in the face-off so many injuries and absence of superstars," he concluded.
The last time England toured India, the visitors suffered a humiliating 4-0 win in the five-Test series.
(PTI Inputs)
