I remember being in Delhi for a one-dayer against Pakistan and the chill was unbearable. The conditions in Mohali could be similar and probably this prompted Ian Bell to say that it was like being in England.
What he also tried to convey was that they had beaten India in cold conditions last year, so there was a possibility that there would be seam movement for the quicks and that could trouble the India players.
There is a possibility of such conditions prevailing, especially with Daljit Singh, the curator, who likes to leave grass on the surface. He also prepared similar pitches in Kochi and Ranchi, where the ball turned and got the English batsman in trouble.
But irrespective of the pitch and weather conditions, England will have to improve drastically to level the series. They batted well in Rajkot, but since then it has been a slide. England lost track of the chase in Kochi and same was the case in Ranchi while batting first. There has been a problem in the way they've paced their innings.
The application of Cook and Pietersen upfront has been a prime example. They have been over-attacking and trying to manufacture shots and thereby getting out. Both of them, along with Bell, need to take a leaf out of Dhoni's knock in Kochi and Virat's knock in Ranchi on how to play normal cricket and, with wickets in hand at the end, score runs to all parts of the ground.
{{/usCountry}}The application of Cook and Pietersen upfront has been a prime example. They have been over-attacking and trying to manufacture shots and thereby getting out. Both of them, along with Bell, need to take a leaf out of Dhoni's knock in Kochi and Virat's knock in Ranchi on how to play normal cricket and, with wickets in hand at the end, score runs to all parts of the ground.
{{/usCountry}}The writer is a former India captain 360 corporate relations