"They don’t just play silly cricket"- Graeme Smith expects England to be prepared for India's trial by spin in Tests

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith feels England coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes will be well aware that they will get turning tracks in the five Tests against India starting later this month.

There has been a lot of doubt over Bazball's effectiveness in Indian conditions, given it may not be straightforward for batting as it could be in England. However, Smith feels the visitors will have their plans in place to counter the threat.

Speaking to Betway, here's what Graeme Smith had to say about England's preparation:

"I think it's a given that you can expect dry surfaces in India. For England under Ben and Baz, they don’t just play silly cricket. They’re obviously looking to play a real positive brand of cricket but there’s a lot of thought and brains. I know Baz well, he’s a deep thinker about the game and a creative thinker, so he’ll be strategizing and thinking."

As skipper Ben Stokes shared on X, England have planned a proper training camp in Abu Dhabi before the Test series.

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England try to put teams under pressure: Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith also tried to shed light on how England put the opposition under pressure with their ultra-aggressive ideology. However, he feels India have the quality and the experience in their ranks two withstand the pressure the visitors will put on them.

On this, he stated:

"What England try to do is to put teams under pressure and make mistakes. The thing that India have is experience and an incredible confidence playing in their own backyard. They’re very successful at it, so it’s going to be interesting to see if this approach works for England."

The first Test between the two sides will be played at Hyderabad on January 25, Thursday.