Former England captain Alastair Cook frets England’s lack of match practice before Test series in India

England and India are set to face off each other in the gruelling five-match Test series starting in Hyderabad on 25th January. India last faced England in a test series held in England in 2021 that resulted in a 2-2 draw between both teams. 

India have been a dominant force in test matches on their home turf and haven't lost a single test series at home since 2012. Interestingly, the last series India lost at home was against Alastair Cook led England won created history by winning in India by 2-1.

England was going through a tough time in Test cricket 2 years ago but in recent times since Brendon MCcullum took the coaching reign, they have transformed the way test cricket is played with their aggressive style of play popularly known as 'Bazball'. Since 2012, England have toured India twice for Test matches and have lost both the series in a one-sided manner. 

But since they have adopted 'Bazball' in test cricket, they have tasted success in this format as they managed to win against Pakistan 3-0 at their home. Many experts and fans believe that because of their aggressive style, this is their best chance to win in India after 2012. 

Alastair Cook’s take on the India-England series

But amid all this, England's former captain Alastair Cook who led England to their historic victory in India in 2012 has stated his worries regarding the lack of match practice for England before the hard-fought test series. He even recalled that when he led the England side to victory in 2012, they had played three valuable practice matches before the first test.

Writing in a column for the 'The Sunday Times' Alastair Cook stated, "The problem England will have is the lack of match preparation. It would be good if there was some sort of unwritten agreement between countries to put on decent practice matches in decent conditions for touring teams. I now think it is their best chance of success. They won't follow the traditional rules of batting in the subcontinent.”

Cook also stated Joe Root's importance in the England batting line-up. He wrote, "He's scored a lot of runs in the subcontinent in recent years in Sri Lanka and India, and he has done it by being very proactive, but in what seemed to be a very risk-free way.”

Well, Cook is curious about how India will react to England's aggressive strategy, as he feels the 'Bazball' might make things tough for the Indian bowlers. Cook is optimistic about England's 'Bazball' approach, seeing it as a positive factor for England during their tough tour of India, he concluded.