‘I can’t see India not producing bunsens’ - Jeetan Patel expects turning tracks as per Rohit Sharma's liking for India-England Test series

The Indian team is all set to take on England in a five-match Test series that is slated to begin on January 25. Led by Rohit Sharma, India will be coming into the series after drawing the two-game Test series against South Africa, and with the series’ conclusion, skipper Rohit Sharma’s comments about the pitch after the second Test made the headlines. 

With the second Test between India and the Proteas finishing in just two days due to the nature of the pitch, Rohit called out the critics who regularly scrutinise the subcontinent pitches that favour the spinners. The skipper opined that the teams should look to put in their best performance rather than complain about the pitch.

The same comments saw England’s bowling coach, Jeetan Patel, expect to turn tracks in their series against India. Patel opined that they have prepared various tracks in Abu Dhabi to better prepare themselves to take on India.

Also Read: 'India can produce different pitches, it doesn’t have to turn' - Jonny Bairstow ahead of five Tests in India

"Guys want volume, be it batting or bowling; time to work and explore their options. But it’s going to be a fine line in terms of training for this one. I can’t see India not producing bunsens [spinning pitches], especially after the recent comments from Rohit [Sharma]. And rightly so; that’s the whole point of home advantage. So we have requested a blend of pitches in Abu Dhabi,” Patel told The Guardian.

We want to challenge guys but also ensure they arrive in India with enough confidence: Patel

Furthermore, Jeetan Patel highlighted the importance of England keeping their excitement levels high as the India tour will be a long one. The first Test of the series between both sides will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from January 25.

Also Read: Reports: Recovering Shami likely to miss first two England Tests

"We want to challenge the guys but also ensure they arrive in India with enough confidence to be free enough to play how they want to play and to take the game on like they have over the last two years. It’s also a long tour. We want to energy and excitement levels to be high when they hit that first Test, rather than being a fortnight into their time in the country and not as mentally fresh as they could be,” Patel concluded.