"It has to be a measured aggression" - Steven Finn warns England ahead of Test series in India
Ex-England seamer Steven Finn believes the tourists must curb their 'Bazball' instincts and show measured aggression to beat India in the upcoming Test series. The 34-year-old reckons England can take inspiration from how their captain played in the 2012 leg in India.
Sir Alastair Cook remains the last captain to win a Test series in India, having enjoyed a marvellous series with the bat. In four matches, the Essex opener slammed 562 runs at 80.29 with three centuries, headlined by a best of 190.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Finn labelled Cook and Kevin Pietersen as the architects of that series win in 2012.
"Cook ground them down and then Pietersen came out and played this knock and everyone was like, 'oh my word, we're going to win this series'. That was the moment we all realised," he said. "I think England can take some of the motivation from the way that affected the way India played and try to take that into this series, but it has to be a measured aggression."
The 34-year-old suggested that England must put pressure on India in stages.
"If you go 100 percent aggression from the beginning, I think you can become unstuck," he continued. "But if you've given yourself a chance and then assert pressure back on India, that could serve England well."
Since Ben Stokes took over as captain, England have been aggressive in the longest format. While the Englishmen stunned Pakistan in their backyard in 2022 to win 3-0, beating India at home is arguably the toughest challenge in Test cricket.
"He keeps surprising people and performing" - Steven Finn on James Anderson
Steven Finn believes that James Anderson is still a massive asset for England even at this age of his career and suggested that his vast experience will be a huge benefit.
"Jimmy is superhuman," he said. "People have been anticipating he will retire for about seven years now and he keeps surprising people and performing. He didn't have a fantastic summer last year, but I know from knowing him as a character that he wouldn't be doing this unless he felt he could make a difference."
The first Test begins on January 25th in Hyderabad. Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala are the other venues.