Former captain Alec Stewart predicted a comfortable Test series win for India [ Images ] against England [ Images ] in the upcoming series, and added that Alastair Cook's [ Images ] men would have to play remarkably well even to draw the series.
"India will be desperate for revenge after their 4-0 whitewash on English soil 18 months ago and will be looking to inflict as much misery on their visitors as possible," Stewart wrote in his column for the Daily Mirror.
"A 4-0 revenge mission by India is certainly not out of the question and England know they are going to have to play very well to challenge MS Dhoni [ Images ] and his team," he added.
The four-match Test series begins in Ahmedabad [ Images ] on Thursday.
"England have not seen a top class spinner so far let alone one with some mystery in his armour and the pitches have hardly been what you'd call big turners"," he further wrote
Stewart added: "Come Thursday I expect to see a bone dry pitch with not a blade on it, guaranteeing plenty of assistance for Indias spin twins Ravi Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha [ Images ]."
"India currently has no selection worries and plenty of experience in all departments of their game, and I expect the emerging quality of Virat Kohli [ Images ] to feature strongly with the bat," he wrote.
"I must not let my heart rule my head and therefore have to admit I expect a comfortable series win for India," he further added.
"If England can even draw the series then they'll have achieved something quite remarkable, and all of a sudden life as a captain will seem a whole lot easier to Alastair Cook," he concluded.
Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images
this
Users
Comment
article