Ashwin offers advice to England batters ahead of 3rd T20I
What's the story
Former Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has given some strategic advice to the England cricket team after their dismal show in the first two T20Is against India. On his YouTube channel, Ashwin advised the English batters to adjust their approach according to the situation of the game and conditions, instead of being aggressive throughout. He observed that this overly aggressive strategy had backfired in the initial matches of the series.
Analogy
Ashwin compares cricket strategy to Bengaluru traffic
Ashwin compared cricket strategy to driving through Bengaluru's traffic. He said, "England have played incomplete cricket. They made a series of mistakes. When you play in India, you can't play in one tempo." He added, "If you drive in Bengaluru traffic, you can't always be in the fourth gear. It's the same logic here." This analogy was to stress on adaptability in varied game situations.
Performance review
Ashwin's analysis of England's performance in Chennai T20I
Ashwin's analysis was backed by the fact that not a single English batter was able to face more than 30 balls in the Chennai T20I. In this match, England only managed to score 132 runs, while they posted a total of 165/9 from being 104/6 at one stage in the second game. These numbers highlighted Ashwin's point about a more flexible approach to batting.
Team advice
Ashwin's suggestions for Indian team's batting approach
Ashwin also gave a piece of advice to the Indian team about their batting approach. He said, "The fearless, daredevil approach of Team India is good. Of course, you should have that fearless approach in the powerplay." But he stressed on respecting game conditions and adapting as not all situations suit aggressive batting. This advice comes ahead of the third T20I between India and England at Niranjan Shah Stadium on January 28.
Spin challenge
England's struggle against Indian spinners in T20I series
England's biggest challenge in the first two matches has been their inability to tackle Indian spinners, with 11 out of the 19 wickets falling to them. However, England is sticking to its guns and has announced an unchanged XI for the upcoming match. The decision reflects a strong faith in their current team composition and strategy, despite the challenges faced thus far.