Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'I am sure we are certainly preparing ourselves for an Indian bounce back': Collingwood wary of Virat Kohli and Co.
Paul Collingwood revealed that post India's heavy defeat in the third Test at Headingley, where the visitors went down by an innings and 76 runs, England are bracing for a strong fightback.
"Never, ever underestimate the Indians." These were the words of Australian coach Justin Langer soon after India won the Gabba Test earlier in 2021 to seal a historic 2-1 series win. And staying true to his words, the present Indian side has earned a reputation of bouncing back from tough situations. Paul Collingwood, England's assistant coach, is wary of the fact too.
While speaking during a virtual interaction with select media, arranged by Sony, Collingwood revealed that post India's heavy defeat in the third Test at Headingley, where the visitors went down by an innings and 76 runs, they are bracing for a strong fightback.
"I thought we bowled tremendously well. It is easy to criticise the Indian batsmen when you are an Indian supporter but there was a lot of movement on the pitch on the first day," Collingwood said at a virtual media interaction with select Indian journalists.
"...it was kind of conditions with a bit of moisture in the pitch and it was tricky for the batsman, the way we bowled against them. Virat (Kohli) said in his post-match conference, the accuracy and relentness of our bowlers was something that they struggled against and accuracy I thought was fantastic," he added.
England made a stunning comeback in that game after being thrashed in the second Test at Lord's by 151 runs.
"Can they (India) bounce back? I am sure we are certainly preparing ourselves for an Indian bounce back. We know that they are a high-quality team and we have always prepared ourselves that they are going to be 100 percent ready for the next battle in new set conditions at the Oval," added the 45-year-old.
According to Collingwood, who played 68 Tests, saying that this Indian team is like the Australians when it comes to on-field aggression is a "bit harsh".
"...both sides, they don't want to give an inch. When you have two countries where cricket means a lot to them, a set of players for whom winning means a lot, then you do have heated exchanges.
"It was a great game to watch and we were on the wrong end of the result, but the level of intensity that we got from the game, the performance level we got from the game were right up there with anything you would see," he explained.
"And both teams were head to head with each other...I think the Australians, their behaviour and the way they play their game of cricket is changed over the years.
"So to say that they are like the Australians is probably a little bit harsh," added Collingwood, who has 4,259 runs, when asked whether the Indian team led by Kohli was playing the same brand of cricket that resonated with the Australian cricket team.
The fourth Test begins at the Kennington Oval on Thursday.
Watch England vs India - 4th Test - LIVE from 3.30 pm IST on SONY SIX (English) channels from September 2, 2021
(With PTI inputs)
