India vs England 1st Test match: It seems the scars of the limited-overs series have not healed properly. Wary of the damage he could inflict even in the Test matches, England left no stones unturned in their preparation to face India’s astounding left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the first Test match at Edgbaston.
In order to overcome the unease while facing the Uttar Pradesh spinner, who was the wrecker-in-chief in the limited overs series, the England team management, ahead of the first Test, called up Nottingham-born chinaman Akhil Patel.
Akhil is the younger brother of England left-arm spinner Samit Patel, who has played six Tests and 36 ODIs for his country. Akhil represents Derbyshire’s 2nd XI.
“They called me to join the England nets a couple of days back and I was very happy to do it. Of course, the idea is to be ready for Kuldeep”, Akhil told TOI after England’s practice session on Tuesday.
While the English lower-order seemed to be having troubles, England captain Joe Root looked pretty comfortable in picking him in the nets with batting coach Mark Ramprakash instructing the spinners about the bowling areas to hit. “Yes, Root was playing me quite well,” Akhil added.
Akhil was not the only chinaman called in the nets to make the English batters Kuldeep-ready. William Blackwell and Teen Sam Wisniewski were also present.
However, it’s not certain whether India would play Yadav in the first test as during a media brief Indian captain Virat Kohli said that getting the right balance has always been the priority.
The conditions and stats at Edgbaston heavily favor the hosts but on paper India sure have the edge over England.