There is a lot of anticipation around India’s upcoming Test series against England, starting February 5 in Chennai.
Both the teams are coming into the series with historic triumphs away from home. While India defeated Australia 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, England whitewashed Sri Lanka 2-0 in their own backyard.
Ahead of the marquee series, former India opener Wasim Jaffer has said that the hosts will be pumped after the success Down Under and they will look to start afresh against England.
See Also: Wasim Jaffer picks India's playing XI for the first Test in Chennai
"India will be pumped up. It's a new series. India have to forget what happened in Australia, they need to start afresh against England," Jaffer told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview.
Australia series win was a remarkable one for Team India considering the fact that they were bowled out for 36 in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Furthermore, regular skipper Virat Kohli returned home on paternity leave after the first Test while a number of key players picked up injuries through the course of the series.
Despite the setbacks, the visiting team under Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy bounced back brilliantly to register emphatic victories in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Now, back in home conditions, the game plans will change and Jaffer advised the team to not take things for granted.
"Obviously, India holds an advantage because they are playing at home. But you can't take anything for granted. Whatever happened in Australia, you need to leave that behind, take that confidence and start afresh," he remarked.
The biggest takeaway from the Australia series win was the performance of youngsters like Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur.
No wonder, all four of them have retained their places in the squad for the first two Tests versus England.
"I never imagined someone like Washington Sundar will play such a big role (in Australia). Someone like Shardul who didn't have a memorable Test debut a few years back will impress this much. He got injured and had to leave the field. It never looked like he will play a Test match so soon. But the kind of comeback he made and the performance he showed, was just amazing. Before the IPL, who knew there will be a T Natarajan who will be making debuts in all formats and that too in one series. They all performed with flying colours. It was an amazing display by these youngsters," Jaffer said.
"I am sure these people will perform really well against England (too)," he concluded.
(With TOI inputs)
