"England will be buoyed by Ravindra Jadeja’s absence" - Mark Butcher
Former England batsman Mark Butcher is of the opinion that the visitors will be buoyed by Ravindra Jadeja's absence in the first two Tests against India.
Jadeja, who played his part in Team India's Test series triumph in Australia, is not part of the home team's 18-man squad for the two Chennai Tests. The all-rounder fractured his thumb in the Sydney Test and is still recovering.
England come to India on the back of a 2-0 series victory in Sri Lanka. However, the English batsmen struggled against Lankan left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, who picked up 15 wickets in the two matches, including 10 scalps in the second Test.
As England had trouble playing Embuldeniya, Mark Butcher feels Joe Root's team will be happy not to come up against Ravindra Jadeja in the first two Tests of the four-match series. The former left-handed batsman told TOI:
“Embuldeniya is a quality spinner and our batters had problems facing him. England will be buoyed by Ravindra Jadeja’s absence. India possesses a world-class bowling attack but Jadeja adds a different dimension to it.”
It remains to be seen if Ravindra Jadeja, a proven match-winner for India on numerous occasions, returns to the squad for the final two Tests against England. If fit, the left-arm spinner could have played an important role in the two Chennai Tests.
England won't find it difficult to adjust to Indian conditions: Mark Butcher
Mark Butcher thinks the England team will not find it difficult to get acclimatized to the Indian conditions, given they recently toured Sri Lanka.
“The conditions in Chennai are very similar to what England players would have encountered in Sri Lanka. So, who played the two-Test series will get acclimatized easily,” he added.
Butcher went on to add that England won't give special importance to Ravichandran Ashwin and will prepare for all Indian bowlers. He also feels patience will play a key role if England want to succeed on Indian soil.
India will begin the four-match Test series as strong favourites. The hosts would be high on confidence following their memorable triumph Down Under.