CHENNAI: Not many gave England a chance ahead of the five-Test series against India, but Alastair Cook's men have proved to be more than a handful for the hosts. Former England skipper
Allan Lamb, who represented the Three Lions in 79 Tests and 122 ODIs, believes Cook's side will not have it easy as the series heads to Visakhapatnam for the second game.
The 62-year-old, who presently operates a luxury hospitality business and will be bringing in a group of tourists to witness the Mumbai Test, told TOI on why India still remain favourites to win the series, on debutant Haseeb Hameed's impressive show in Rajkot and more.
Excerpts:Do you feel England have been successful in shaking off the loss to Bangladesh in their second Test at Mirpur?England have been quite positive from the word go in Rajkot. England did have it tough in Bangladesh and they had to forget about that loss and move on. Cook's team did appear confident and one hopes they would continue in the same vein going forward in the series.
Were you surprised by the flat deck that was offered for the opening Test?It was, to be honest. Considering the wickets that England played on in Bangladesh where there was a lot of turn, I thought the wicket in Rajkot would spin as well. It was however a good Test wicket. England will take confidence from the way they started (in the series). For me, (Joe) Root, Cook and
Moeen Ali played with a lot of purpose and showed how it's to be done on Indian wickets. India did drop a few catches and that can always peg you back in a game.
What are your impressions of 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed?It was a fantastic debut, wasn't it? Before the Test in Rajkot, I had never seen Hameed bat. From what I saw - Hameed looked technically sound, didn't show any nerves of a debutant and played each ball on its merit. I believe England have got a solid opener in Hameed and the young lad has a great future ahead of him. Someone even commented that Hameed reminds them of Geoffrey Boycott. I feel Hameed is his own man and the more he plays at the top level, the better he is going to get.
With James Anderson expected to be back for the second game, how much of a bonus would it be for the pace attack?Jimmy (James) is an experienced campaigner who has delivered for the side for years now. When you have a bowler with over 450 Test wickets to his name coming into the side, it's definitely going to lift the side. Jimmy's presence will augment the English pace attack.
Do you reckon England's spinners can trouble India consistently in the series?The last time England toured here, the duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar did wonderfully well. In the current lot, the likes of Moeen, (Adil) Rashid, Zafar Ansari and
Gareth Batty will have to bowl in good areas in order to trouble the Indian batsmen. They would have to be very consistent in order to make it count. Look, on paper - India have a better spin attack. In Indian conditions, they are favourites.
What's the scoreline that you predict?Both teams seem to be giving it their all. But, if I were to go purely by the conditions that would be on offer, the series should read 3-1 in India's favour.