Bhuvi’s absence won’t affect India: Gough

Gough spoke about the different options available in front of skipper Virat Kohli in both pace and spin departments, and remarked that India’s well-rounded attack is suitable for any pitch that is laid out in this ensuing series, despite missing Bhuvneshwar for three Tests and Bumrah for the series opener.

“Bhuvneshwar is a big loss and he wasn’t at his best during the ODI series because he was carrying an injury. But India aren’t a side anymore that is dependent on one bowler. Earlier, they were dependent on Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath or Zaheer Khan, that is no longer the case. India are suited for all sorts of wickets, and they look prepared and geared up for this Test series,” Gough said.

“Today, you have to be on top of your game to beat India, whether you are playing at home or away because they posses everything in their bowling attack. Kumar gives you swing, Bumrah is a skidding seam bowler, Umesh Yadav can move the new ball as well and he has got pace, Mohammed Shami is strong and hits the deck hard, while Ishant Sharma has experience, aggression and he can bowl lots of overs.”

He reckons the spin attack too is lethal with the addition of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav.

“On top of that you have three spinners. R Ashwin is nearly unplayable in Indian conditions, Ravindra Jadeja keeps taking wickets and Kuldeep Yadav has already proven himself in England. Selection is not going to be easy and good luck to Indian team management, especially in the spin department, as someone will be upset when he is left out in Birmingham,” he said.

Until last week, the United Kingdom was reeling under a heat wave and higher temperatures than normal meant that almost everyone is expecting batsmen and spin friendly wickets during this Test series, with swing to play a minimal role.

While India opted for three spinners, England too has done the unthinkable in opting for leg spinner Adil Rashid (who had quit red ball cricket in February) as well as bringing back Moeen Ali (who picked 19 wickets against India in 2014) in its first Test squad.

There has been a lot of debate about Rashid’s call-up, and while Gough said that it shouldn’t have been so, he added that England had no option. 

“He shouldn’t have been picked in the Test squad because he decided to walk away from day cricket. I was disappointed that he left Yorkshire in the lurch a little bit at the start of this domestic season. I believe if he had worked a little harder with red ball, he would have got his change in the Test side and become a regular. There’s no doubt that he is England’s best spinner by an absolute mile. But he was disappointed with the way it was going for him (in First-Class cricket),” said Gough.

The weather has finally started turning in England. Rain arrived in Chelmsford when the Indian team left and it was raining in London over the weekend as well. It is anybody’s guess then what sort of weather will persist over the next five weeks.

Swing or spin, or both, could be a factor at different points in this series. As such, instead of Virat Kohli versus James Anderson, this could shape up to be Kohli versus Joe Root.

“Root is a world class batsman and he shoulders the responsibility of this English Test side. He is our plan A in Test cricket. It will be a keen contest between him and Kohli, but only to a certain degree as both sides have other batsmen who can make an impact.”