New Delhi: New Delhi: Former India captain Kapil Dev has said that India will have to take the game session by session since the weather in England changes within minutes.
“India look a superior batting side. How they tackle the conditions is important. To me, India’s batting will hold the key. The bowlers provide a solid back-up to India’s cricket campaigns these days but the quality of batsmen will stand out in the final,” Dev said.
“Test cricket is about sessions. Each can be intriguing because of the weather factor. Within minutes, it changes from sunny to cloudy. So you have to be tactically good and technically sound when you play in England,” he said in an interview.
The 62-year-old warned Kohli against getting over-aggressive in England and felt that wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has improved from the time he came into the side but still needs to be cautious in England.
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“I expect him (Kohli) to excel. Can you really shackle him? He is a natural when it comes to adapting but I would caution him to not be over-aggressive. He will have to measure it session by session. He’ll be better off waiting for his moments of dominance. He will get his runs with a bit of patience,” said Dev.
“Trying too hard and too early doesn’t work in England where you need to watch the movement of the ball. If you play seam and swing well, show patience, you will succeed in England.”
He also said that Pant needs to spend time in the middle and get used to conditions before going for his shots.
