Senior England paceman Stuart Broad has revealed that in the second Test between India and England at MA Chidambaram Stadium, he bowled some leg-cutters like former India captain and legendary spinner Anil Kumble.
Broad, who went wicketless in the match which India won by a huge margin of 317 runs to level the four-match series 1-1, said he is applying more focus in his bowling for the upcoming Pink-Ball Test as there was nothing much for seamers in the second Test.
“Personally, there should be more for me to work with if selected (In the pink ball Test). There was nothing in the Chennai pitch on that first day, and it was only when I went Anil Kumble and started to get the leg-cutter really jagging off the surface that I felt in the game,” Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.
Kumble was quite a different spinner as compared to the traditional leg-spinners in his era. He used to deceive the batsmen more with his pace and length than flight and turn. This was the reason why Broad found it easier to implement the strategy.
The Chepauk pitch also drew criticism predominantly from the English media and former cricketers. Some ex-England players claimed that the track in the second Test assisted the spinners from Day 1. However, Broad said there was no problem from the England camp and admitted that the English side was outplayed by Virat Kohli-led team.
“There is no criticism of the second Test pitch from our point of view. That’s exactly what home advantage is, and you are well within your rights to utilise that. Why wouldn’t India play on pitches that turn square and upon which first-innings runs are vital? They outplayed us on a pitch that they are very skilled on but one very alien to us,” Broad wrote further.
Speaking on the third Test, which is set to take place at the iconic Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, Broad reckoned that Day-Night Test conditions are more likely to be in favour of England.
“Conditions this week might be slightly more in our favour — if you are talking about England, Australia and South Africa playing here, you would probably choose a pink ball if you are looking at evening things up — but we must remember India possess some fine seam bowlers and are at home,” Broad asserted.
