India will fancy their chances but not sure if they are as intimidating as they were: Steve Harmison

Former cricketer Steve Harmison has expressed his doubts regarding India’s batting unit ahead of the five-match Test series against England, which is slated to begin on January 25, in Hyderabad. The 45-year-old was seemingly unsure about Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill’s potential in red-ball cricket and added that the cricketers of the past were more intimidating than the bunch India have now.

Notably, with Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane out of contention, the Rohit Sharma-led side has an inexperienced batting order. The likes of Jaiswal, Gill and Shreyas Iyer have done well in the past but consistency has been a major issue. Talking about the same, Harmison mentioned that they are well-established in white-ball cricket but not so much in Tests. He believes that the hosts will once again fall to Rohit and Virat Kohli as other cricketers lack the class that Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman used to have.

“India will fancy their chances in their own environment, especially with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in their batting line-up. England, though, will feel that there are some vulnerabilities in that batting line-up. When I toured India, you had those big batters in the likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman – all stellar players. I am not sure if it’s as intimidating as it was back in the day,” Harmison was quoted as saying by ETV Bharat.

“Shubman Gill is a very talented player and Yashasvi Jaiswal is a good player, so as Shreyas Iyer. But I don’t think there are more of established international players in red-ball as compared to white-ball set-up,” he added.

Harmison pointed out England’s vulnerabilities

Besides, Steve Harmison also added that England too have players who are yet to make a significant mark in international cricket. He mentioned that the likes of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley are still finding their feet, Joe Root and Ben Stokes will have a lot of responsibilities in the coming series.

“Ben Duckett is still finding his way, while Zak Crawley is still trying to find his way, though he’s an exciting talent. So, Ben Stokes and Joe Root will have to shoulder the burden and the majority of pressure if England are to perform with the bat. A lot of their success with the bat will be largely down to Joe Root having one of his better series because he’s the best player of spin in the current line-up,” Harmison concluded.