India was exceptional in Nottingham, says Shane Warne

As Shane Warne was present in Southampton for the get-together of all the living Hampshire Captains, he got an opportunity to follow England vs India series with great interest and gave his valuable inputs on the situation.

“Yes, I have been following the series with a lot of interest. The ball has dominated the bat and India could have won the first Test but England played so much better in the second. But India have got better in the second. But India have got better through the series and they were exceptional in Nottingham,” he told TOI.

“The one thing I would love to see is KL Rahul going after Jimmy Anderson. If I was part of the Indian Management, I would like to tell Rahul to try and take Jimmy down. Jimmy is fantastic in these conditions and if he has his tail up, it's difficult to deal with him. The better the bowler, the more aggressive you have to be,” he added.

He further mentioned that the Indian squad can outstand any situation and emerge victorious. As for comparisons between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli go, Warne mentions that it would be unfair to compare them as Kohli is still playing and developing, although he agreed that the Indian skipper is the best batsman, currently, in all the cricket formats.

“Oh yes, I haven't seen an Indian team that has outfielded opposition teams and bowled faster. I love the talent they have, it's exciting and they can win in any conditions. In fact if you ask me, I would make the tough decision to play two spinners, Jadeja and Ashwin here,” Warne said.

“It's hard to judge the greatness of Virat now as he is still playing, but when I see him I find he can go up there in the conversation involving Tendulkar and Lara. Is he the greatest ever? Well you can't say that now unless he plays in all conditions against all players in all formats over a long period of time. But at the present moment, Virat is the best batsman who can play all formats,” he added.

He also mentioned that Kuldeep Yadav should have been allowed to be a part of the upcoming Test. In fact, he feels that he should be playing in the Test at Oval as well. Further, he advised Ashwin that he should remain patient in the conditions that are not suitable for him.

“Kuldeep is very good. It's a shame that he has been sent back to India. He should have played this Test and the next one at Oval where it spins. With a bit of wrist spin and a bit of mystery, he would have had a lot of success. As far as Ashwin is concerned, he should be a bit more patient. He has to understand five wickets won't come everyday and he has to find ways to do well in conditions that don't suit him,” he said.