Ian Bell, the former England cricketer, believes that Ben Stokes and his teammates have silenced many of their critics with their display in the ongoing Test series against India. The series is currently level at 1-1, with the third Test in Rajkot set to commence on February 15th.
The Indian team was widely considered the strong favorite leading up to the series, given their impressive track record at home. There were also doubts about how the England team, under the leadership of Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, would perform in the challenging subcontinental conditions with their new playing style ‘Bazball’.
England have thrown some real punches to push India back- Ian Bell
England defied expectations by securing a historic victory in the series opener in Hyderabad. Despite facing defeat in the second Test in Vishakapatnam, they made the Indian team work hard for their win.
“I suppose the Indian media was very confident that it was going to be 5-0 before the series started. No doubt that this India team is worried about this England side, which is great. I think England have thrown some real punches to push India back,” Ian Bell said on the Sky Sports Podcast.
“It’s going to come down to again, someone like Ollie Pope did in that first game to get a big hundred, that’s really important to really put yourself in the game, but they look threatening,” Bell added.
Ollie Pope played a crucial innings, scoring an impressive 196 runs in the second innings of the first Test in Hyderabad. His performance helped extend England’s lead and set the foundation for their 28-run victory.
I feel there will be a bit more pressure at the moment on India- Ian Bell
Team India is facing significant pressure in the current home series, with several challenges to address. The absence of Virat Kohli, along with injuries to key players like Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul, has left Team India vulnerable. Ben Stokes and the England team will be looking to capitalize on these weaknesses.
With a number of inexperienced players in the lineup, India will be relying on them to step up in this crucial moment. Ian Bell believes that despite the series being tied at 1-1, India will be under significant pressure in the upcoming third Test.
“I think the Indian lineup has got an amazing amount of talent, but again, there will be doubt there. Not that they don’t have the talent and ability, but I feel there will be a bit more pressure at the moment on India. Let’s hope so. But it’s in the balance right now. But I think if someone can do what Ollie Pope did in the first Test, we can put pressure on India,” Ian Bell concluded.
Team India will miss KL Rahul in the third Test as he continues his recovery, while Shreyas Iyer has been omitted for the remainder of the series. This opens up the possibility of a debut for either Sarfaraz Khan or Devdutt Padikkal.
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