Anil Kumble warns Indians about underestimating opponents England

Indian coach Anil Kumble has warned his side about taking England lightly in their upcoming Test series. In fact, the last time the Brits made their way to the subcontinent, they secured a series win 2-1 against the unassuming Indians. However, in spite of this, the Indians will certainly fancy their chances against the visitors and add to their rating and solidify their position at the World Number one ranking.

Speaking about the same, Anil Kumble added that England did in fact, have a quality side. He also went on to single out the impact made by Alastair Cook and Joe Root, the two players he believes that can make an impact on the Indian pitches. He also added that they have a decent bowling unit.

‘England has a quality side,’ he said. ‘Alastair Cook has been there on a number of occasions, and that’s obviously something we’ll be looking at. Then there’s Joe Root. Their bowling line-up has troubled us in the past, too.

Kumble added that that the history of the rivalry was something that would add pride to both sides and help them in their push for victory. The 46-year old also added that he had seen the side develop a lot in the seven Test matches he has coached them through thus far. The most recent of this came in the 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand in the Test series, something that propelled the Indians to the top position in the World Rankings.

Also read – Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test, Day 1 Review: Dhanajaya de Silva’s ton takes Sri Lanka to a comfortable position

‘You can look at history and look at that series the way you want to. But it’s a totally different England team that’s here. For us, what’s important is that we’ve been playing Test cricket — seven matches in a row and we’ve seen the development.’

‘They’re both very good, but if we concentrate on just two of their players that would be the wrong way to go,’ he said.