Brendon McCullum has warned England will be ready to “drop the shoulder and go hard” at India when the pair resume their heavyweight clash in Rajkot next week, with the series finely poised at 1-1.
Speaking in India on Tuesday before England head to Abu Dhabi for a mid-series break, the head coach also offered a positive update on Joe Root’s fitness and backed his premier batter to score a “s*** ton of runs” before the series is out.
India fought back to level the series with a 106-run triumph in Vizag on Monday, after England had edged in front with a famous comeback victory in Hyderabad last month.
It has been more than a decade since India were beaten on home soil and Rohit Sharma’s side began the series as heavy favourites but England have so far outperformed expectations on the first leg of their five-match tour.
“What we have seen is that both teams will give as good as they get,” McCullum said. “I’m sure everyone around the world that has supported this series so far has been totally entertained and enthralled by the contest.
“What makes a great heavyweight fight is a contrast in styles and conviction in those methods. We’ve got conviction in ours and India have got conviction in theirs.”
The day four finish in Vizag has left a nine-day gap before the Third Test starts next Thursday and rather than remain in India, England have opted to fly back to the UAE, where they will enjoy some time off with their families.
England’s decision to shun warm-up matches in India in favour of a training camp in Abu Dhabi as their main preparation for the tour was heavily criticised in some quarters, but the approach has been vindicated by an excellent start to the series and McCullum believes his players will return fresh from the break.
“[It will be] pretty relaxed,” McCullum said. “There will not be a whole lot of training. The boys worked incredibly hard in Abu Dhabi, keeping in mind they all came here with a lot of cricket under their belt as well.
“We have had plenty of training days, two varying Test matches and this is an opportunity to step away from the heat of the battle. I was talking to [India head coach] Rahul Dravid and he mentioned all his boys are shooting home as well. Home for us a little way away so we chose Abu Dhabi and we are going to enjoy the families. Then when we get to Rajkot, we drop the shoulder and go hard.”
While England’s performances have been littered with positives, including the contributions of a novice spin attack and Ollie Pope’s stunning 196 in Hyderabad, Root’s returns with the bat have been uncharacteristically below par thus far.
The former captain has made only 52 runs in four innings, the most recent of those a chaotic 16 from 10 balls in the failed chase in Vizag after he had been forced off the field on day three with a finger injury.
However, McCullum revealed that issue is not as bad as first feared and has no doubt the 33-year-old will come good.
“It’s actually better than we thought,” McCullum said of Root’s injury, caused by two separate blows while fielding at slip. “We were a little bit worried about it, but he sort of bounced back and we’re pretty confident with it.
“He’s a world class player and as good as any player England has ever seen. There is no doubt from our point of view in that approach. There are three Tests left, still an opportunity to score a whole s*** ton of runs.”
England’s chances of a record-breaking chase of 399 were hit by illness in the camp heading into day four, with Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes and Tom Hartley all taking to the field having struggled, while Jack Leach – missing from the XI because of a knee injury – was also affected.
“A couple of the boys were quite ill, which they fought their way through which is a great sign,” McCullum added. “They wanted to get out there and take the game on and it’s credit to the character that they’ve got.
“We’ll never use that as an excuse, sometimes, the hotter the conditions the more the real tough characters come out.”
England are not yet sure whether Leach will recover in time for the Third Test, while McCullum declined to give an update on Harry Brook’s potential availability later in the tour after he flew home for personal reasons on the eve of the series.
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