India will start as the favourites going into the series, reckons Allan Lamb
Former England skipper, Allan Lamb has backed India to win the Test series against England and stated that the conditions would be in favour of the visiting team as the series unfolds. Lamb was impressed by Kuldeep Yadavâs bowling and insisted Yadav and Ravi Ashwin would make a good pair in Tests.
India
"India will start as the favourites going into the series. I expect the conditions to be in their favour as the series unfolds. It has not rained here much in the last few weeks. This will result in wickets being on the drier side and that should bring the Indian spinners into play," Lamb told TOI on Monday.
Lamb was impressed by Kuldeep Yadavâs exploits in the ODI series and insisted that he should be included in the Tests as well. With India naming three frontline spinners, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, in the 18-member squad, Lamb wanted to have two of them as part of the playing XI.
"I am impressed with Kuldeep. Yes, Joe Root and a few others did read him in the one-dayers, but I would want to still see him in action in the Tests. He and Ashwin will be a good combination to go with," said Lamb, who played 79 Tests and 122 ODIs for England.
While facing the Indian spinners, Lamb advised the England batsman to use their feet against the spinners. "You can't just walk in thinking of only employing a particular shot such as the sweep. The trick is to use your feet as much as possible," he said.
Earlier, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin enjoyed a successful county stint for the preparation of the English tour. Lamb believed India would benefit from players who have got county experience.
"It's a big plus. As a
Despite the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the first three Tests, Lamb still rated the Indian pace attack highly. "Ishant is coming after having had a good county stint. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Mohd Shami are capable of bowling with pace and conditions will help them get some swing as well. It will be interesting to see how the English quicks - James Anderson and Stuart Broad - shape up considering they are returning from injuries," he said.
