DVDs, scuffed balls and new strategy

Watching video footage is de rigeur for any international team nowadays, even juniors do it. England, though, are focusing squarely on how to play quality spin.

The England team underwent their first extensive nets session today, and their batsmen spent the two hours hitting slow bowlers all over the park. First, they decided to rough up the tracks a little and asked the spinners to bowl with the used balls in their effort to try and make the ball turn.

Most played their shots in the ‘V’ rather than playing square of the wicket. Opener Andrew Strauss later explained why: playing either the sweep shot or on square of the wicket against Pakistan recently had proved very costly.

Similarly, the England batsmen believe that playing across the wicket, on either side, would be a risk against the off-spin of Harbhajan Singh or Anil Kumble’s googlies.

Yet they feel they have the measure of the Indian attack. ‘‘There are batsmen like Flintoff who mostly play their shots straight, and that can be the key,’’ Strauss explained.

Former England player Derek Pringle, now part of the touring media, points out that England have mostly right-handed batsmen in the squad. Given the way they batted in Pakistan—sweep shots used in excess—they will be more vulnerable to the guiles of Harbhajan’s sharp off-breaks or Kumble’s deceptive wrist spin, particularly in case of LBWs.

In India, again, England do not want to repeat the same mistakes. Though they haven’t arrived with any preconceived notions here, they are sure that if they can handle spinners well, half their job is done. ‘‘If Test cricket is about challenging yourself, the one of those challenges is to play spin bowling in India,’’ says Strauss.