Harbhajan Singh drops startling comments about England team ahead of 1st Test against India

India will be hosting England for a 5-match Test series. The Men in Blue have won 16 consecutive series at home and the last time they lost a series at home was back in 2012-13 against the same opponent. The team has played explosive cricket, their ‘Bazball’ has received some criticism on the sidelines, but it has also helped them win several games. India has won 16 straight home Tests, including 4-0 and 3-1 victories over England in 2016-17 and 2020-21.

Many previous cricketers have warned the side that the Bazball will not provide the same spin-friendly conditions as India. With Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, the English team might sweep the series. Former World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh was the most recent person to remark on the issue. He believes that the Bazball strategy will be ineffective in India due to the spin-friendly conditions. He suggested that they could be important for England‘s success in India.

Spinners should expect assistance from Indian pitches from the first day. Jack Leach, grabbed 18 wickets in a four-match Test series against India in 2020-21. Aside from Leach, Rehan Ahmed has only played one Test in Pakistan, where he claimed seven wickets. Meanwhile, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir are yet to make their Test debut.

Bazball won’t work: Harbhajan Singh

Harbhajan Singh said, as per Hindustan Times, “Bazball won’t work. The conditions are going to be pretty difficult for England. Pitches will turn from the first day, and if you have an accurate spinner, he will take wickets. On both sides, actually. Toss becomes pretty important on such wickets. I don’t think England have a chance unless there isn’t much to offer for spinners.”

In the 2016-17 and 2020-21 series against England, India won convincingly, with spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel taking 32 and 27 wickets, respectively. The English Lions have taken a spin-heavy side but the experience of playing in India is quite different and tough. Moreover, they have lost their star batter Harry Brook who has returned home with immediate effect and missed England’s Test series in India due to personal reasons. He has been one of the most consistent batters for England in Test cricket in the last year or so.