"They can't play Bazball on seaming pitches" - Former England spinner's blunt take ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests
Former England spinner Monty Panesar believes excellent batting pitches will be on offer in the upcoming India tour of England, starting June 20. Since Ben Stokes became Test captain in early 2022, England have adopted an all-out attacking batting approach, popularly referred to as 'Bazball'.
While their away results have been largely unimpressive, England have dominated at home, remaining unbeaten in all seven series. The lone drawn series came in Ashes 2023 when they bounced back from a 0-2 deficit to level things at 2-2.
Speaking to the PTI ahead of the India-England Test series, Panesar said about the likely conditions (via NDTV):
"It would be an interesting series. It would depend on how India plays the swinging ball. Do they attack? Do they defend? "It is going to be very warm, pitches are going to be flat. I don't think England would look to take home advantage. They will produce neutral pitches. They can't play Bazball on seaming pitches."
He added:
"That will also play into the hands of Indian batters as they would like playing on flat pitches. ECB wants the games against India to go into the fourth and the fifth day. I don't think anybody wants three three-day Test matches in a five match series. So I think England are gonna nullify home advantage.
India and England last played a Test series at the start of the 2024 season, with the former winning 4-1 at home.
"Sundar can be your second spinner" - Monty Panesar on India's combination in England
Monty Panesar advised India to play two spinners in the final two games of the five-Test series against England in Manchester and the Oval. With Ravindra Jadeja a certainty in the playing XI, the former England spinner believes India should pick Washington Sundar over Kuldeep Yadav as the second spinner.
"Jadeja is expected to play majority of the games. You can play two spinners at Old Trafford and Oval. The ball turns even in Birmingham. Sundar can be your second spinner," said Panesar (via aforementioned source).
The two teams last met in a Test series in England in 2021/22, with the five-match affair ending in a 2-2 draw. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma recently retiring from Tests, Shubman Gill will lead India in the upcoming English tour.