Cook and Root could hurt us, admits Kumble
ANIL KUMBLE has singled out Alastair Cook and Joe root as the two players India must deal with if they are to avenge their home defeat by england four years ago.
Cook was captain during that 2012-13 series, scoring three hundreds and averaging 80 as his side famously won 2-1. It remains the last time any touring team triumphed in India, since when Australia, West Indies, South Africa and New Zealand have all suffered heavy defeats here.
But Kumble, a former leg-spinning legend and now their coach, played down suggestions that previous results would have any relevance to the five-Test series starting in rajkot on Wednesday, when India will look to extend their record at home to 13 wins in their last 14 games.
‘england have a quality side,’ he said. ‘Alastair Cook has been there on a number of occasions, and that’s obviously something we’ll be looking at. Then there’s Joe root. Their bowling line-up has troubled us in the past, too.
‘You can look at history and look at that series the way you want to. But it’s a totally different england team that’s here. For us, what’s important is that we’ve been playing Test cricket — seven matches in a row and we’ve seen the development.’
This series is part of a mammoth home season for India, who moved top of the Test rankings following their 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand. Still to come is a one- off game against Bangladesh, then four Tests against Australia. By the end, off- spinner ravichandran Ashwin could be the first bowler to pass both 200 and 300 wickets in the same season. he has 220, 27 of those at an average of 17 against New Zealand. But england coach Trevor Bayliss has warned his players not to get sucked into the idea that they need only deal with Ashwin and star batsman Virat Kohli.
‘They’re both very good, but if we concentrate on just two of their players that would be the wrong way to go,’ he said.