England’s left-arm spinner Jack Leach is on his maiden Test tour of India and he hopes to make an impact in the upcoming four-Test series starting Friday (February 5) at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Former left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is someone Leach loves to watch but he wouldn't prefer to bowl like him despite his quicker bowling in the air helped him taking 17 wickets in three Test matches to play a key role in England’s rare Test series win over India in India back in 2012.
Leach has admitted that he couldn’t bowl as fast as Panesar but hopes to bowl with his optimum pace while sticking to his strengths to make Indian batsmen’s life tough on the crease in the upcoming Test series against Team India.
Leach in an online media interaction: “Monty and Graeme Swann are two bowlers I love to watch. I watch a lot of spin videos to try and take things from the spinners. Monty bowled at a quicker pace in India and that could be very tricky on a spinning wicket.”
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He further explained, “I am probably not going to be bowling the same speed. It is probably more about how the ball gets to the batsman in terms of trajectory. There have been other successful bowlers who didn't bowl as fast as Monty did.
It is about sticking to my strengths and knowing what my optimum pace and then going up and down a little bit from there. Everyone has an optimum pace. It's important to stick to that as much as possible.”
It is known that it’s always tough to bowl on India’s spinning wickets but Leach is looking forward to the “ultimate” challenge against the quality side.
The 29-year-old added, “They are obviously a quality side and have come back off a great win in Australia, but I think it is just a great opportunity for all of us to test ourselves against probably the best side in the world and to do here in India, my first time in India. This is what the dream you have, to come to places like these. Obviously, it is a fantastic opportunity, and I want to enjoy it.”
Leach, who has so far played 12 Tests and recently took 10 wickets in Sri Lanka, is confident to make an impact in the maiden Test series in India.
He continued, “I definitely think I can make an impact in this series, obviously we have got three days of training and I am not sure what the wicket is going to be like or anything, so not looking too far ahead... But definitely want to make an impact and they have got quite a lot of right-handers, so I see that as a good thing for me.”
On being asked will he fancy bowling the leg-stump line from over the wicket, something Ashley Giles did in the 2001 series in India, the spinner said: “That is something we have talked about in Sri Lanka, definitely I guess the change in our angles.”
He continued, “Bowling over the wicket, for him, for his action, I prefer to bowl round the wicket. I feel I have got more dismissals in play and I guess change something just because someone else did it, I think it is sticking to your strengths, and doing that, so it might be something we can use at some point for sure.”
Further, Leach has also insisted that he is not thinking about becoming England’s No.1 spinner with a good showing against India, rather, just eyeing to enjoy his time in India and build on the success he enjoyed in Sri Lanka last month with the red ball.
The spinner continued, “I think it has been a long time not playing and in that time I did a lot of work, to try and become the bowler I guess I want to be. I feel that it is all in there and just need to bring out now and Sri Lanka was a good start and I felt like I am going in the right direction.”
He also reacted to the news that 50 percent of spectators will be allowed for the second Test, saying: “Yes, potentially, definitely we want to play in front of the crowds, that is for sure...”
Leach signed off by saying, “But yes obviously it needs to be safe and we don't want to obviously be adding, you know the problem which is affecting the whole world, so if it is safe and good then great but we will obviously love to play in front of crowds, as soon as possible.”
(With PTI Inputs)
