England’s left-arm spinner Jack Leach has asked the England team to be prepared for the Indian team’s fightback after their 227-run loss in the first Test in Chennai. The second Test match will begin at the same venue from February 13 onwards and India will be eager to draw level in the series.
Ahead of the upcoming match, Leach, who picked up four wickets in the second innings of the first Test, has admitted that the visitors should expect a wounded Indian side to make a strong comeback.
“Given India's previous recent record at home - 28 wins and five draws from 34 games - we knew we were going to be up against it and the challenge now is to get ourselves fresh and mentally and physically ready for the second Test on Saturday. India are a class team and they will come back fighting, so we have to be ready; it's important that we keep trying to improve in practice,” Leach wrote in his column for Sky Sports.
He says that he was inspired by former spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann who had led England to a 2-1 Test series win in India in 2012-13.
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“Indian cricket has a rich tradition, producing some of the greatest players to have ever played the game, so it has always been an aspiration of mine to play here. Watching Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar help bowl England to victory in 2012 was hugely inspirational and so it's very exciting to be part of this series,” Leach wrote.
Leach, who played a pivotal role in England’s win, talked about his feelings when Rishabh Pant was hammering him all over Chepauk in the first innings.
“After conceding 77 runs off eight overs on day three I was not sure if I wanted to play cricket again (!) so I'm really proud to have come back and contributed to the team's victory. Who would have thought the game would feel that hard when you have won by 227 runs? Thanks for all the support back home - we understand times are hard but we really feel like so many people are behind us and everyone is in our thoughts,” Leach stated.
