Team India is ready to travel to United Kingdom (UK) for a long tour. The number one ranked Test side will first face New Zealand in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) in Southampton starting June 18.
After the WTC final, India will meet England in a five-match Test series beginning August 4. This will be a crucial tour for the visitors as they last won a Test series here back in 2007 under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, and before it, India had won in England way back in 1986, when legendary Kapil Dev was the skipper.
Kapil, under whom India won the series 2-0, explained what the current team should do in order to excel in English conditions.
“I want this team to remember that England in England is tough. They are a very good team when playing at home, but it will also depend on how the Indian bowlers adapt to the conditions and pitches. The swing will be very rewarding, and here I feel England are one step ahead of India,” Kapil told Mid-Day.
The World-Cup winning captain also suggested current Indian leader Virat Kohli not to be over-aggressive as trying too many things don’t work in England. Kapil said showing patience in English conditions is rewarding, and Kohli should do that and wait for his moments to capitalize.
“I expect him to excel. Can you really shackle him? He is a natural when it comes to adapting, but I would caution him not to be over-aggressive. He will have to measure it session by session. He’ll be better off waiting for his moments of dominance,” added the 62-year-old.
“He will get his runs with a bit of patience. Trying too hard and too early doesn’t work in England, where you need to watch the movement of the ball. If you play seam and swing well, show patience, you will succeed in England,” Kapil added further.
Speaking about Kohli, this will be his third tour to England. His maiden series in 2014 was a disaster as he could only manage to score 134 runs from 10 innings. However, in his second tour in 2018, the Delhi-lad bounced back, amassing as many as 593 runs from five Tests with the help of two hundreds and three half-centuries.
