India have enough time to get used to the conditions in England : Zaheer Khan

04/27/2018

Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan believes that the Indian team will have enough time to get acclimatised to the conditions before the 5-match Test series in England. The 39-year-old also said that with the swing on offer, the batsmen and bowlers will need the right technique to deal with it.

After a long and extended home season, India are on the road largely for the next 15 months. They already had a two-month long tour to South Africa where they lost the Test series 1-2 but won the ODI and T20I series 5-1 and 2-1 respectively. The Test series was a very close one and one of the main reasons for India’s loss was their late arrival in South Africa. They reached South Africa just 8 days before the first Test and didn’t play a practice game.

It is one of the areas India have stressed on for the upcoming tours of England and Australia. India will be touring England between July and September where they will play 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs before a 5-match Test series. There is a change in the way the tour has been scheduled as it has gone away from the format of playing Test cricket before the limited-overs series.

But in order to get acclimatised to the conditions, the schedule for the tour has been set as the T20I series will be played first followed by the ODI series before winding up the tour with the all-important Test series. With the limited-overs fixtures being playing across 14 days, India will have about two weeks before the first Test.

“There will be more than enough time to get used to the conditions. It certainly will give you enough time to get yourself acclimatised. Most players are playing in more than one format and the key players will get used to wickets and conditions,” Zaheer Khan was quoted saying by TOI.

England is known for its unpredictable weather and it is usually quite overcast which helps bowlers get a lot of swing. Hence, it is a challenge not only for the batsman but also the bowlers as they to get excited looking at the bowler-friendly conditions on offer.

“One thing with England is the weather is not consistent. In overcast conditions, the ball is going to swing. At the end of day you need the right frame of mind and right technique to deal with it as a bowler or batsman,” the 39-year-old said who has taken 31 wickets in 8 games in England.

Playing County cricket has helped quite a few overseas players and a few Indian players have travelled to England in recent times and have played the County Championship. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma are currently playing in England. Virat Kohli is also expected to represent Surrey for about a month ahead of India’s tour to England. Zaheer who represented two County teams (Surrey and Worcestershire) feels it is a personal call and it depends on the player.

“It's an individual's call. Even Virat playing county cricket is an individual call and not a team call. The kind of squad we have, most of them have played in England and are aware of what kind of conditions will be on offer,” the former Indian pacer added.

The workload of bowlers has increasingly come in the spotlight. Bowlers playing all three formats are trying to look after their workload and Zaheer Khan feels that it is important to manage their workload, not by missing matches but skipping some training sessions.

“Workload got to be managed is a fact, but you also need to be smart about it. I have always emphasised that match practice is the best practice. If you are in a good rhythm then that practice session is not going to help you in managing the workload. But lots of bowlers want to bowl before the match for psychological reasons. I never endorse staying away from matches just because workload is high. I managed my workload in the nets rather than by missing a match,” Zaheer said.

India’s much-awaited tour to England starts on July 3.

India have enough time to get used to the conditions in England : Zaheer Khan

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