IND vs ENG: How to bat in England? Sachin Tendulkar shares tips for inexperienced Indian batting

Sachin Tendulkar; Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja.

Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary cricketer, has offered valuable advice to the inexperienced Indian batting lineup as they prepare for the Test series against England. The series, now named the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, will be a significant challenge for the young Indian team.

Led by Shubman Gill, who faces a trial by fire as both batter and captain, India enters this series undergoing a transition. The recent retirements of key players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin have left India in uncharted territory.

Several potential top-order batsmen, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair, are set to play their first Test matches in England. Among them, only Nair and KL Rahul hold averages above 40 against the red ball in UK conditions.

"If you look at it, Yashasvi has now travelled a fair bit. He's been to South Africa, he's been to Australia and he's played against some reasonable bowling attacks. So, though he's new, he's had that exposure," Tendulkar stated during a virtual media interaction. "KL Rahul, again, has been around for a long time now and is an experienced player."

Tendulkar also commented on the other young players, "If Sai Sudarshan plays, I've had a look at him, he looked impressive. The technique looks good to me. Shubman has a fair amount of experience now. And, if you look at Karun Nair at five, then Karun also has tasted success at international level. So, I feel up to five, there is a reasonable amount of experience. Karun has played County cricket also."

Tendulkar emphasized the unpredictable nature of Test cricket in England, saying, "Every day, every session may produce a new challenge. Sometimes the journey would be smooth, sometimes it would be rocky... Not all sessions are going to be smooth. And, it won't be a comfortable ride all the time."

He stressed the importance of capitalizing on dominant positions: "But when you are in a dominant position, we must make it count. And make sure that the opposition pays a price for that. So, the sessions won should be the focus of the team. How many sessions can we win in a Test match? And then we need to go hour-by-hour, session-by-session, and then, you know, day-by-day. But take small steps at a time and keep constructing on that solid foundation."

The first Test in Headingley, according to Tendulkar, will be crucial in setting the tone for the series. "First Test is always important. To build a solid foundation in Headingley is going to be critical. And if we are able to do that, then we could construct something that we would remember, you know, 20 years down the line," he remarked.

India will also have to contend with England's aggressive "Bazball" approach to Test cricket.

Tendulkar acknowledged the evolving nature of the sport. "I know that England have been playing aggressively. And that's their style of play. This is the brand of cricket that they have decided to play. And one should not be too overawed by how they are playing. They will play their brand of cricket and we need to play our brand of cricket, whatever brand suits us to our playing combination," Tendulkar claimed.

He further elaborated, "With time, a number of things are changing. The formats of the game have become shorter and that has encouraged players to play different brand of cricket. I remember in the year 2000, when Zimbabwe had come to India, Andy Flower was playing reverse sweep against our spinners. I said at that time that Andy is 8-10 years ahead of the rest of the guys, as far as that shot is concerned. And today it is considered a normal shot."

Tendulkar also shared his experiences with adapting to different playing styles. "I remember when I was playing against Warne and I swept the ball, number of guys would say it's a dangerous shot, but I felt totally comfortable playing that shot because I had practiced (it). So, it eventually boils down to whatever approach you adapt. If you've practiced, then you feel comfortable."

He concluded, "The eventual thing that both teams look to do is they want to own that space. And by using this approach, if you can own that space and put pressure on each other, so be it."

James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar with the new trophy for India vs England Test series. (Pic courtesy - BCCI)

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Tendulkar revealed that he learned about the decision to name the trophy after him and Jimmy Anderson a month prior. He considered it a "nice recognition".

He also emphasized the importance of honoring the legacy of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, whose name was previously associated with the trophy. Following discussions with the BCCI, the ECB, and ICC Chairman Jay Shah, it was decided that the winning captain would be awarded a newly-instituted Pataudi Medal for Excellence.

Tendulkar recalled his early impressions of Jimmy Anderson, stating, "The first time I heard about him was from Nasser Hussain. Jimmy had just started playing for England and Nasser spoke very highly about him. He said that he is a bowler to watch out for... It's a remarkable career."

He further added, "I have always believed that one can play for a short span with a lot of talent, but to last for over two decades as a fast bowler requires a lot of focus, a lot of discipline, concentration, dedication, grit... The way he has been able to overcome all the challenges and deliver year after year, season after season, has been remarkable."

Tendulkar praised Anderson's subtle variations and adaptability: "What I found special about him was his wrist position and the subtleness in his variation... He was quite good at bowling reverse swing and hiding the shine... He adapted his action to that... He continued evolving. That is the key ingredient to being a successful athlete. You have to constantly rediscover yourself, evolve and introduce new things."