"I think India will aim for 5-0" - Parthiv Patel backs Rohit Sharma and Co. to complete a whitewash over England in Tests
Former Indian wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel feels the hosts can win the five-match Test series against England 5-0. He believes that will be their target come the first Test in Hyderabad on January 25.
India have been an absolute force at home for more than a decade, with their previous Test series loss coming way back in 2012 when Alastair Cook and Co. won 2-1 against MS Dhoni and his men.
However, Parthiv Patel feels that given India's form in the longest format both home and away of late, they will back themselves to blow England away. Here's what the former cricketer was quoted as saying to Jio Cinema & IANS:
"I think the Indian team will aim for 5-0. I think they need a 4-0 win to get to the top of the WTC standings. Looking at the last cycle, India won a lot of overseas Tests. I don't think India need to change their approach."
He added:
"It's the visiting teams that have to come up with different strategies. It remains to be seen whether Bazball will work here or not. If the ball spins, I don't think it will work here because there's too much quality in India's spin attack that includes Ashwin, Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep."
India were recently a part of the shortest Test ever played in the history of the game. The Cape Town Test against South Africa lasted just 642 deliveries before the visitors emerged victorious by seven wickets.
England need backup to Bazball against India: Pragyan Ojha
Former Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha was also present in the discussion and he feels England will back their Bazball ideology in India. The visitors won a Test series 3-0 in Pakistan in December of 2022 and will be confident about their game in the subsequent conditions.
However, Ojha also advised Ben Stokes and Co. to have a backup plan because the pitches in India may not be as fast as they were in Pakistan. He stated:
"I feel England will be very confident with the strategy they have adopted. But they need a back-up plan because the conditions won't be like what they were in Pakistan. The wickets were slightly better and favored the batsmen. Here, the conditions will favor the spinners. So how they tackle this will be very important."
Ojha further claimed that unleashing their ultra-attacking brand of cricket against a quality Indian attack in their den won't be easy for the visitors. He added:
"Bazball involves playing fearless cricket and England tries to gain a psychological edge using this strategy. Executing Bazball will be difficult in India because it won't be easy to play the Indian spinners or for that matter Jasprit Bumrah and the other pace bowlers."
England did get hammered 3-1 the last time they toured India for a Test series in 2021. While they may expect similar rank turners this time around, the visitors might draw inspiration from the way Australia beat India on a turning track in Indore during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.