Monty Panesar predicts England will beat India by a margin of 2-1 in the Test series
England are all set to take on the Indians on the third of the five-match Test series in Mohali tomorrow ahead of which discarded England spinner Monty Panesar has predicted that Alastair Cook's men will beat India by a margin of 2-1.
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During an exclusive interview to Aaj Tak on Friday, Panesar went on to claim that England have the tendency of coming from behind to beat their opposition and will do so against the Indians in the on-going Test series. He said, "I think England can win the series 2-1. They just need to win the key moments in a match which they haven't done in Rajkot and Vizag.
“Everyone knows that it isn't easy to beat India in India. However, they've failed to accelerate just when it was required the most. There is no point in being defensive against India, they need to attack right from the first ball," he added.
Panesar is currently in Sydney, where he's undergoing a rehab after a shoulder surgery. The left-arm spinner last played for England in 2013 in an Ashes Test at Melbourne.
Panesar stated that Cook was missing the trick by not playing a third spinner against the Indians and also said that he was ready to join the team if management wanted him to. India Today quoted him as saying, "Maybe Cook is missing the third spinner. I am ready to join them, if not in the eleven then even to bowl in the nets. I so badly want to be in Mohali,"
He also went on to state that the English team should be looking to take one session at a time while playing against India. He said, "Game moves on in a similar pattern on the first two days of a Test in India. We all know that. It is after that the team which accelerates has the maximum chance of winning."
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The 34-year old said that though Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli was in a sublime form, the England spinners have the ability to test his patience. He went on to say, "Virat seems to be quite sound, technically. His head is in a great position while batting. However, if he is forced to play across the line by bowling a certain off-stump line, there is a chance that he will commit a mistake at some point of time."
Monty Panesar made his international debut against the Indian cricket team during a Test match at Nagpur in 2006.