England's latest spin all-rounder Liam Dawson wants to learn from Ravindra Jadeja
After being flown in from the Bangladesh Premier League last month to enter into England’s squad as a replacement for Zafar Ansari, Liam Dawson had to witness the action in Mumbai from the sidelines as the visitors decided to go in with only two spin options.
But, having got the opportunity to make his Test debut in Chennai, the all-rounder impressed instantly by scoring a vital 66 during the first innings. Armed with a solid total, the 26-year old is eager to take a shot at the Indian batsmen.
The inability of England’s spinners to maintain consistency in their line and length has been one of the main reasons for India to already cruise to an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. However, Dawson wants to take a leaf out of Ravindra Jadeja’s book with regards to bowling in the subcontinent.
“The way Jadeja bowls for India is a good learning curve for me - the pace he bowls at and the lines too. Going forward that's something, especially on the subcontinent if I do play more, that I'll be looking to do. This is my first tour so I've never experienced anything before. There's always pressure in international cricket and hopefully, I can deal with it”, he said to Sky Sports at the end of Day 2.
Coming in at 300/6, Dawson joined centurion Moeen Ali in the middle. Once the left-hander departed, he aggravated India’s woes by building a 108-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Adil Rashid and even managed to remain unbeaten. The Hampshire cricketer also established a new record for the most runs on debut by a number eight England batsman.
He felt, “Cricket is cricket at the end of the day – whether you are playing 50-over or Test cricket, it's still cricket. One thing I've learned is to try and keep it simple and the more I'm playing, that's what I'm trying to do and it seems to be working which is good. We're so used to the domestic structure in England being so out of sync that you have to get used to being flexible and I think that's why players are used to doing it.”
However, the task for England is still considerably difficult as the hosts have gotten off to a strong start at 60/0. After bowling just a solitary over towards the end of the day, Dawson will be hoping to make a mark with the ball in the next few days. The left-arm spinner admitted, “It's a flat wicket but we've just got to keep coming all day tomorrow. That's all we can do as a group and I think we'll do that.”