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In the forthcoming five-match Test series, Indian
captain Michael Atherton believes his team has an advantage against Ben Stokes
and company. In the current ICC World Test Championship (WTC), Rohit Sharma’s
Team India will play England after a series-leveling performance in South
Africa. Rather than playing a practice match in India, the visiting England
team is preparing for the tour in Abu Dhabi.
Stokes and company will like their prospects of
upstaging India away from home, especially considering England’s recent success
with their Bazball strategy. The last time India visited the United Kingdom
(UK) for a Test series, England concluded its home series level-pegging.
Players like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran
Ashwin are part of India’s spin attack.
In an interview with Skysports prior to the Test
series, Atherton forecast that India, the hosts, will win the series. The
former captain of England stated that the result of the Test series in India
will be determined by the spinners. The former England batsman saved the best
praise for Ashwin, calling the veteran Indian spinner an all-time great.
“I think India will win. Their spinners are better
than England’s, and that will be the defining thing in the end. If you go to
India, spin will play a big part, it historically has done and I suspect it
always will do. India do have a very strong seam attack as well. India’s four
spinners are very different to England’s. They have two left-arm finger
spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. They have a wrist spinner in
Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the greatest spinners of all
time,” Atherton said.
With Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar leading the spin
attack of England, the visitors defeated India in the 2012 Test series. Hosts
India have remained unbeaten at home since the 2012-2013 season. The Asian
giants also finished runners-up in the first two editions of the ICC World Test
Championship.