Former English cricketer Owais Shah has made unexpected comments over the England bowling attack ahead of the four-Test series opener against India on February 5 in Chennai, saying the tourists don’t have the bowlers to do the business in India.
Shah even predicted a 2-1 result in favor of the Indian Cricket Team against England in the upcoming four-Test series despite the tourists having James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, and Ben Stokes in the pace department and spinners like Moeen Ali and Jack Leach to challenge the hosts.
While Team India is coming into the Test series on the back of a remarkable Test series win 2-1 in Australia with a depleted and inexperienced team against a full-strength side, Joe Root-led England is also coming into the contest with a 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka.
Well, India will be back to near full strength with the return of their captain Virat Kohli and other premier players like Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya, while Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin are also expected to be fully fit before the home Test series, making them favorites against England.
Shah told Sports Today on Friday: “I don't think we have the bowlers to do the business in India, unfortunately, this time. I think it might be 2-1 to India. England will get a lot of confidence from what they did in Sri Lanka. 2-0 is a really good achievement.”
He further noted, “Also the conditions they were given, the ball was turning from Day 1 of the first Test which is unlike a Test wicket. It was challenging conditions and the way England came out on top was pretty impressive. I don't think the bowlers, the two spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach, probably didn't bowl their best but they still managed to win the Tests.”
Shah signed off by saying, “They (Bess and Leach) did really well on tracks (Sri Lanka) that were turning, how the batsmen played on it and applied themselves. But I think the spin bowling department will really be tested against the strong batting lineup of India.”
(With India Today Inputs)
