"I feel like we play spin really well" - Zak Crawley optimistic of England's chances in India next year

Zak Crawley recently stated that England players were excited to implement their new aggressive approach in next year's India tour. Crawly backed the current crop of players to play spin equally well if the wickets were spin-friendly.

The Englishmen will play five Tests in January 2024, as they aim to secure their first series victory on Indian soil since 2012. It will be the first Test series in India since Ben Stokes took over as captain and Brendon McCullum came in as the coach for England.

Crawley, who played two Tests in India during the 2021 tour, remarked that India's grounds were inconsistent when it came to the wicket. However, the Kent batter suggested that they were ready this time, come what may.

As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:

"I don't really know much about their grounds. Sometimes in India, it seams and swings a bit - and they've got unbelievable seamers - so hopefully there are a couple of pitches there that are like that as well, that will suit us a bit more. But if it's spinning, I feel like we play spin really well as well. We'll just have to adapt, see what we get. But they are pretty unknown grounds - I don't know if they're going to be raggers like Ahmedabad and Chennai, where we were last time."

The Englishmen suffered a demoralizing 3-1 loss in 2021 when they played four Tests. The likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel were the chief tormentors, with them picking up 32 wickets in four matches and 20 wickets in 3 matches, respectively.

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"All I care about is what the coach thinks" - Zak Crawley on criticism

Zak Crawley. (Image Credits: Getty)

Crawley further commented that he has committed himself to being fully positive now while batting, unlike before.

"I've never really paid much attention to that. All I care about is what the coach thinks… as long as he keeps backing me, then that's the only opinion I care about. I've narrowed my stance slightly, got my head slightly [further] forward. I haven't quite committed to that in the past; I'm fully committed to that at the moment."

The Kent batter was the highest run-getter for England in the 2023 Ashes with 480 runs in 10 innings.