England wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes expresses confidence in handling turning pitches if produced by India in the remaining four Tests. Reflecting on the 2021 series, he mentions the challenging tracks encountered.
Despite some expectations, the pitch for the 1st Test in Hyderabad didn’t heavily favor spin. England secured a 28-run victory in the opening game, with notable performances from Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley with bat and ball, respectively.
Addressing reporters, Ben Foakes shared the following, as reported by BBC:
“Quite a few of the lads have a gameplan that will do well on those pitches. That first Test was played on a flat wicket and then they went to raging ‘bunsens’. All three were probably the worst pitches I’ve batted on.”
England secured a comfortable victory in the first Test of the 2021 tour against India, played on a flat track. Subsequently, in the remaining three matches, the pitches transformed dramatically, exhibiting sharp turn from the very beginning, leading to significant defeats for the tourists.
“It’s about the number of punches you can deliver”- Ben Foakes
The 30-year-old emphasized that they no longer fear turning tracks as they focus on making an impact with their batting before facing dismissals. He provided further details, stating:
“It’s more of a mindset shift of how to go about it, because in those conditions the bowler is massive favourite to win the contest. It’s how many blows you can put in.”
“Before there was a fear of getting out and that put us in our shells. Now it’s not worrying that you are getting out and accepting that you probably are on those sorts of surfaces. You can actually go and dominate at times as well.”
The second Test is set to commence on February 2nd in Vishakhapatnam. England’s Head Coach, Brendon McCullum, has suggested the possibility of fielding three spinners for this match.
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