I know how good Rohit is against short ball but that won't stop me from bowling bouncer: Mark Wood

India and England will lock horns in a five-match Test series beginning from January 25 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The contest promises to be a mouth-watering clash as both sides are among the strongest teams in Test cricket currently. India captain Rohit Sharma will prove to be a vital cog in the Indian batting lineup in the absence of star batter Virat Kohli who’s opted out of the series due to personal reasons.

Ahead of the series, England fast bowler Mark Wood is planning rigorously to devise a plan to dismiss the Indian skipper. Speaking ahead of the first Test, Wood acknowledged Rohit’s strength against the short ball but stated that he would test him out with the bouncers at the right time.

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"Someone like Rohit, I know how good he is on the short ball. That doesn't necessarily mean that I wouldn't bowl a bouncer. It just means that I'll have to be really accurate with it and bowl at the right time," Wood was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Notably, Rohit Sharma got dismissed against Mark Wood on a short ball during the second innings of the Lord’s Test in 2021. The Nagpur-born batter has a stellar record against England 747 runs from 17 innings at an average of 49.80 with two hundreds and three fifties to his name. The opening batter is another beast while batting in India boasting an average of 66.73 in 36 innings batted at home scoring 2002 runs.

Further speaking ahead, Wood stated that they’re aware of the challenges in India but the team will take inspiration from their 3-0 win over Pakistan in December 2022 away from home.

"We know the challenges here. They (India) very rarely lose at home. I think it's almost like a bit of a free hit for us where we can come in and try something different. We created history in Pakistan recently, becoming the first team to win every match. So, this is another chance to do something historic and try and beat India in their own conditions," he added.

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England are yet to lose a series under Ben Stokes' captaincy

England were the last team to beat India at home as the Alastair Cook-led side beat MS Dhoni and his men by 2-1 in 2012. Under the leadership of Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, the Three Lions are yet to lose a series as they’ve been highly successful with their ‘Bazball’ style of play.

However, they will be put to their toughest Test against the Indian spin attack in the upcoming series which will be crucial for both teams with important World Test Championship points at stake.