London, November 13: Former England Test captain Andrew Strauss has said the only way they can trump India on their own home turf is by applying a ruthless approach.
Strauss, who has averaged 54 on Indian pitches, said once England manages to take a lead in a Test match, they have to finish the game off without giving the world champions an iota of a chance to recover.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges. India’s record at home is outstanding and England haven’t done well there for some time. But I don’t think it’s a challenge that should fill people with trepidation,” the Daily Mail quoted Strauss, as saying.
“Some of the batting conditions are better than anywhere in the world and the first innings is a great chance to get a big score. But, if you get ahead of India, you have to be ruthless,” he added.
Strauss also advised England batsmen to play spin bowling with confidence during the tour.
“It’s a confidence game and as soon as people start talking about fallibility against spin, it almost becomes self-perpetuating,” Strauss said.
“All the players need to do is be very clear on their game plan: don’t hesitate but commit. If they do that, they’re as capable of playing spin as anyone,” he added.
“There is no reason to worry too much about their productivity but what you can’t afford is what we had in the UAE against Pakistan, when all the batsmen had a little fallow period at the same time. If you do that, you ain’t going to win matches,” he said.
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