Former Indian captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has agreed with Rahul Dravid that India has great chances this time to win their first Test series in England after 14 years.
India had last won a Test series under Dravid's captaincy in 2007 and since then the team hasn’t won a series in England, but Vengsarkar feels given the world-class bowlers in Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma in the ranks, the tourists have a very good chance to win the upcoming Test series.
England is hosting the Indian cricket team in a five-match Test series starting on Wednesday, August 4 at Trent Bridge.
As hosts have their own concerns as they are without star pacers Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes, and all-rounder Ben Stokes for the Test series, India’s struggle against the moving Dukes ball is well known to all, but Vengsarkar feels this is India's best chance to win the Test series in England.
Read Also: ENG v IND 2021: Shardul Thakur is a better option than Jasprit Bumrah, says Monty Panesar
Vengsarkar told Hindustan Times: “I agree with [Rahul] Dravid. India has a very good chance because this is the first time, we are traveling to England with such world-class bowlers. Guys like Shami, Bumrah, Siraj and Ishant are top class. I think this indeed is India's best chance.”
He is also confident that the Indian skipper Virat Kohli will be able to break his century drought in the upcoming Test series in England. Kohli has not hit a century in international cricket for 21 months. However, the former selector warned India not to be too reliant on Kohli and Rohit Sharma in England.
The former skipper said, “I'm sure he will be able to break his century drought because, at the end of the day, he is a fabulous player. He and Rohit are probably the best India has got and I hope they come into their own and score a lot of runs. But at the same time, I would like others also to chip in, that's important because we can't only depend on just two batsmen. Others need to contribute as well.”
Vengsarkar also defended Cheteshwar Pujara over his style of play, saying: “That has been his approach throughout. That's the way he plays and scores runs. That's how did in Australia; scored three centuries last time around and earlier this year too, he was very crucial to India's chances.”
Many have been questioning Rishabh Pant’s shot selection, especially in the WTC 2021 Final against new Zealand, but the former captain defended the youngster in this regard.
He said, “He is a young player, and the fact that we did not play any games before the World Test Championship. You take time to acclimatize to the conditions. Not only Rishabh Pant but any cricketer for that matter. I can't blame anybody, to be honest. The only thing is that the BCCI should have organized these games for them.”
On India's split captaincy debate, Vengsarkar said: “See, frankly if someone is leading in Test cricket, he should be the captain in all formats. If you're going to play under someone in one format, and under somebody else in another, it makes no sense to me. If someone, and in this case, Kohli, is good enough, he should remain captain in all three formats.”
He signed off by saying, “Every captain is as good as his team. So, you just can't blame the captain if a team loses. See the impact of the person; how much of a positive effect he has had on this team. I think Virat Kohli has done a good job and I wish him all the best for the England series.”
(Hindustan Times inputs)
