"Is Leach a better spinner than Jadeja?" - Michael Vaughan warns India against producing rank-turners for England Tests
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes India could shoot themselves in the foot if they prepare pitches that turn right from the get-go in their five-match Test series against England, beginning on Thursday, January 25.
The visitors did win the first Test in Chennai in their previous Test series on Indian soil. But England were then blown away in the remaining three Tests as their batters couldn't apply themselves on rank turners.
However, in his column for The Telegraph, Michael Vaughan explained how producing turning tracks will reduce the gulf in the quality of spinners in both teams and give England a better chance of competing. He wrote:
"I think it would be a big mistake if the pitches spin hugely from ball one of the series. Spinning pitches bring Jack Leach and the young spinners England have selected into the game. Is Leach a better spinner than Jadeja? No. But if you give him a turning pitch, and England bat first, he will be right in the game."
Vaughan added:
"Equally, when the ball spins big, I think India’s batting can be vulnerable, and England will bowl them out. If the pitches are flatter, India will score thousands, and also have the bowlers to work England out."
Michael Vaughan also advised India to keep contingency plans ready as England's 'Bazball' approach has caught teams off-guard. He asserted:
"India must also beware that almost every team that has come up against England’s new approach has been hit hard on day one. Look at New Zealand, Australia, and especially Pakistan. If India arrive thinking it will be the same as it usually is against England, they might be in for a big shock."
India have recently had the experience of a rank-turner backfiring on their batting line-up when Australia thumped the hosts in Indore during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
You cannot win in India playing one way: Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan has also advised England to make sure they adapt and don't try to play in just one way. He gave the analogy of the Manchester City football club, who had a trophy-laden 2023 because of the way their manager Pep Guardiola adapted the playing styles to situations.
On this, Vaughan stated:
"For England, my message is that you cannot win in India playing only one way. There is no great sporting team that simply plays one way every time. Pep Guardiola adapts Manchester City’s style and tweaks their formation, which is why they’ve won everything."
England have arrived in India on Sunday and have already begun training at the Uppal stadium in Hyderabad. They remain the last team to win a Test series in India, which happened way back in 2012.