Kumble predicts hosts will claim Test series 4-1
MUMBAI: Given India's awesome record at home-they haven't lost a series on Indian soil since 2012-13-few are giving the visiting English team any chance of making a splash against the formidable hosts. So it didn't come as a surprise when, in a virtual interaction with the media on Wednesday, India's leg-spin great Anil Kumble predicted India would win 4-1.
"I'm not a guy with a crystal ball but I can certainly see India winning the series. I am thinking all five (Tests) would provide results because of the approach that these two teams have towards Test cricket. Unless and until weather intervenes, all five Test matches will have results. I would give one to England and four to India," Kumble, an expert on JioCinema, said.
Kumble feels England's bowling attack for the opening Test, which includes just one pacer in Mark Wood, with uncapped spinner Tom Hartley and one-Test old Rehan Ahmed teaming up with Jack Leach, is "highly inexperienced". Skipper Ben Stokes has made it clear that he won't bowl during the series after having just returned from injury.
Former India captain Kumble said it will be "interesting" to see how the visitors manage their bowling resources with just one pacer in the attack.
"It will all depend on how Jack Leach leads the spin attack. Three spinners, of course the English management obviously have had a look at the pitch and they believe that it's going to take turn. In that sense, just with one fast bowler in that lineup, it'll be interesting to see how they go about it, because I certainly thought that once Harry Brook was unavailable, they had the choice to go with Jonny Bairstow as the 'keeper and then bring in another fast bowler. They brought in Ben Foakes, which means that he will keep with just that one fast bowler. We don't know how much of bowling Ben Stokes is going to do, it'll be interesting to see how they go about but (it is a) highly inexperienced bowling line-up," Kumble said.
Kumble, who took 619 wickets in 132 Tests-56 of those scalps came against England at home in just 9 Tests at 23.64-said, "It's going to be a massive challenge for those young spinners, especially Rehan and Hartley to build pressure on this wonderful Indian batting line-up," said the 53-year-old.
There's a bit of a debate around who India's third spinner should be-left-arm spinner Axar Patel or chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav-but Kumble pointed out that Axar, who took a staggering 27 wickets in three Tests @ 10.59 with four five-wicket hauls when England last toured India in 2020-21, should play. "If the conditions are spin friendly then the preferred spinner would be Axar because of his batting ability," he said.
