IND vs ENG: Stuart Broad believes England have great opportunity to win Test series in Virat Kohli's absence
By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Feb 12, 2024, 3:00 PM ISTFormer England pacer Stuart Broad discusses the impact of Virat Kohli's absence, the dynamics of the India-England Test series, and offers insights on Test cricket and fast bowling partnerships.
Former English pacer Stuart Broad considers the ongoing India-England Test series as the most evenly-matched contest between the two sides, emphasizing that the absence of Virat Kohli's "fire, passion, and competitiveness" could tilt the advantage towards the visitors, despite the engrossing matches witnessed so far. In an interview with PTI during the just-concluded SA20, where he served as a commentator, Broad acknowledged Kohli's absence due to personal reasons as a significant factor shaping the series dynamics.
The five-match series stands at 1-1, with the upcoming third game scheduled to take place in Rajkot starting on February 15th.
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"(The) first two matches were very competitive and it is one of the most exciting India-England Test series that I have seen. It is the most level series. India won the last Test but England's playing style ('Bazball') is quite effective in India. With Virat not in the team, it is a great opportunity for the England team," he told PTI.
Broad believes that Kohli's absence has provided an opportunity for the young talents in the Indian team to establish themselves and shine.
"The battle between Virat and England bowlers had been great in the past. (James) Anderson and Kohli's battles are quite famous. It's a shame for the series and the sport that he will be missing," the pace legend noted.
"...Virat adds to the quality of any contest because he is such a wonderful player who brings fire, passion, competitiveness and great fan following to the sport. But personal matters always take preference over cricketing matters," he added.
We saw in the last match when Yashaswi Jaiswal scored a brilliant double century," noted the bowler, who has claimed 604 wickets across 167 Tests.
Broad also expressed satisfaction with the performance of his former new-ball partner, James Anderson, on the unresponsive tracks in India. Anderson, who replaced Mark Wood in the second Test at Visakhapatnam, managed to claim five wickets.
"We saw in the second Test, seamers played an important role with Jasprit Bumrah giving a match-winning performance and Jimmy bowling like that on those pitches. Everyone expected that the pitch might spin a little bit more but seamers had a lot more success. Maybe with the moisture in the morning," he said.
"Jimmy is nearing 700 wickets and I know he is someone who always takes wickets in a winning cause," Broad added regarding the 41-year-old Anderson, who has secured 179 Test wickets against India in 68 matches.
Broad and Anderson constituted a formidable pace partnership during their peak, although he doesn't think they were the final exceptional Test fast bowling duo in the T20 cricket era. However, he acknowledged that it would be challenging for another pair of pacers to amass over 1200 wickets together.
"I don't think we are the last of the great bowing partnership in Test cricket. I think Jasprit Bumrah is an outstanding Test bowler. I don't think our partnership, in terms of wickets we have taken, will get overtaken because of the longevity of our career," he stated.
"I certainly think that there will be bowling partnerships that will light up world cricket in the next few years. I grew up watching fast bowling partnerships like Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, Darren Gaugh and Andy Caddick to name a few. I am sure there will be another partnership coming soon," he added.
The former England captain described Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game and advocated for the creation of a window for the format, allowing all nations to play simultaneously.
He said, "I think the charm of Test Cricket is unmatched . It is a wonderful spectacle. There are many T20 leagues now and a number of World Cups coming around so scheduling is difficult to fit. I can certainly see a period where we have a window for Test Cricket where all the nations are playing at the same time, kids watching highlights, talking about the performances of different teams."
He also offered advice to young fast bowlers, encouraging them to balance their training regimens to extend their career spans.
"Every bowler should find out what works for him for longevity. I liked running which I found crucial for my injury prevention. Jimmy and I did a lot of heavy weight lifting as well that really helped us. It's quite different in Test cricket with 25 overs a day while in T20 it's only four. You don't need much power, just balanced training," he concluded.
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