England, led by the innovative Bazball strategy, is gearing up for a challenging Test series against India in early 2024. The squad, announced on Monday, includes three uncapped players – off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, and fast bowler Gus Atkinson. Although Hartley and Atkinson have previously debuted in the white-ball format for England, this will mark their entry into Test cricket.
Despite the recent success of Bazball, former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed a cautious outlook, issuing a stern warning to Brendon McCullum and his team. Vaughan hinted that Bazball might encounter a challenging task and could face destruction in the upcoming India Test series.
Vaughan’s concern stems from the formidable challenge posed by India’s world-class spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Drawing parallels with the Ashes series last year, Vaughan highlighted Nathan Lyon’s impact in England, where he picked nine wickets at 29.33 before succumbing to a calf injury.
“India is the toughest place to play. Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series while Nathan Lyon was healthy and bowling well. It was just one innings at Lords,” Vaughan said in an interview with foxsports.com.au.
“If you consider the five-for Nathan Lyon took at Edgbaston, with a spread field, England played some ridiculous shots. Adding Ashwin, Jadeja, and Axar Patel on spinning Indian wickets, England might be blown away, absolutely destroyed. They’ll stick to the same aggressive style, aiming for an impact in India. Watching will be exciting, but facing three quality spinners, as opposed to Lyon in English conditions, makes it tough for England to win in India,” he added.
Ben Stokes-led team will play five Test matches in India.
England Squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
