Published 13:35 IST, January 29th 2021
Jofra Archer begins mind games, boldly claims India will NOT 'Outspin' England in Tests
England speedster Jofra Archer talks about his team's spin attack ahead of the first Test match against hosts India in Chennai from February 5 onwards.
Jofra Archer was among the first batch of English cricketers to arrive in India for the upcoming India vs England Test series. He — along with star all-rounder Ben Stokes — was rested from the Tests in Sri Lanka as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) rotation policy. The pace maverick, currently under quarantine, recently boasted about his side’s spin attack on the back of England’s 2-0 thumping of Sri Lanka on spin-friendly wickets.
India vs England: Joe Root & Co. arrive in India: watch video
India vs England: Jofra Archer issues ‘spin warning’ for Team India
Jofra Archer has been a seasoned campaigner for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2018. However, he is yet to play a Test match in India ever since he made his debut in the format in 2019. Writing for The Daily Mail, Archer acknowledged his lack of red-ball experience in Indian conditions.
The speedster added that he will get a fair assessment of the conditions after he will begin his training sessions with teammates. Archer hoped that the Tests will be played out on “good wickets” with a “little bit of pace for the bowlers”, unlike the usual spin-friendly tracks of the subcontinent. The 25-year-old was of the view that India’s spin attack will not be able to “out-spin” the English side, even if the pitches end up providing assistance to the spinners.
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Jofra Archer’s comments came on the backdrop of England’s emphatic 2-0 series win away over Sri Lanka. In the third innings of the series-decider at Galle, England spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach accounted for eight of the 10 Sri Lankan wickets. Skipper Joe Root also picked up two wickets in the innings to back up his match-winning 186 earlier in the same match.
England squad for India Tests 2021
On January 21, the ECB announced a 16-member English squad for the first two Tests against India. While James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer will be spearheading their pace attack, the visitors will be pinning much of their hopes on Dom Bess and Jack Leach to outsmart the Indian batsmen on their own turf.
A look at England squad for India Tests 2021
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Image source: ECB Twitter
Updated 13:35 IST, January 29th 2021