Indian Captain Virat Kohli and Head Coach Ravi Shastri believe that the wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will be the X-factor on the England tour.
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When asked about overseas tours, both Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli agreed on the fact that it is the pitch that matters the most. The hosts – in this case England – too have to adjust to the pitch.
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The team management believes that on flat pitches, where there is neither any turn for the spinners nor movement for the quicker bowlers on offer, it is the wrist spinners who come to the rescue.
Ravi Shastri was quoted by BCCI saying, “Every game is a home game for us and our job is to conquer the pitch wherever we go – Team India Head Coach Ravi Shastri.”
Every game is a home game for us and our job is to conquer the pitch wherever we go – #TeamIndia Head Coach @RaviShastriOfc. pic.twitter.com/LzTC0cecjn
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 22, 2018
Praising Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, the Captain said, “What’s been the difference for us is the two X-factors we have in the middle overs. We have actually been able to create flat wickets into wicket-taking wickets with the variety we have in the attack.”
Joining the chorus in support of the bowlers, the 29-year old mentioned, “It’s brutal for the bowlers; hardly any room for attacking cricket is left from the bowlers’ point of view if you don’t provide pitches that assist them with the new balls. I have played ODI cricket at the time when only one white ball was allowed. It used to be a massive factor towards the latter part of the innings.
“As a batsman, it was a lot more challenging. It is very difficult for the bowlers and they have no way out, unless you have wrist spinners in the side, which is something we have found out. But not every side has that caution,” Kohli said in the press conference before leaving for the United Kingdom (UK) tour.
