'Batsmen from both sides will be tested' - Salman Butt on swinging conditions on offer for India-England Test series

India and England are all set to face each other for the first Test match kick-starting on August 4. Ahead of the start of the series, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has opened up on the challenges that the Indian batters might have to face in the match. He pointed out that if the ball moves considerably, it might pose some tough time for the visitors.

The series between the two nations is already highly anticipated and whilst this, a glimpse of the pitch for the first Test in Trent Bridge was shared on Twitter. The pitch looked to be covered with enough grass on it. Considering that, Butt opined that if there is grass, there would be movement and moisture and that would be a testing time for batters of both sides. He also recounted the WTC final where the Indian batting line-up struggled owing to the movement of the pitch.

“If the pitch has grass on it, there will definitely be movement and moisture. Batsmen from both sides will be tested. It will be easier for England as they are used to such conditions. India, being a sub-continent team, might face some difficulty. There was movement in the World Test Championship (WTC) final surface and Indian players struggled. Definitely, it will be a challenge for India, no doubt about that.” Butt said on his Youtube channel.

England’s batting is not better than New Zealand: Salman Butt

The Indian bowling attack was brought under the scanner for their performances in the WTC final against New Zealand. The pacers seemed to struggle in the English conditions as they couldn’t reap any greater rewards. Butt, however, feels that the batting line-up of the hosts is not that lethal as compared to that of the Kiwis. He also reckoned that it would be a tedious job to score against the Indian seamers as they are quality bowlers.

“England’s batting though is not better than New Zealand. For England, Ben Stokes is not there. So, apart from Joe Root and a couple of others, the remaining batsmen are free-flowing stroke players. India seamers are good bowlers and, if the ball moves around, against them you cannot play as freely as you do in white-ball cricket.” Butt added