IND vs ENG 2021: “August is a great month to score runs in England” - Mohammad Azharuddin shares words of wisdom for Team India

Former Team India captain Mohammad Azharuddin has opined that August is a very good month to score runs in England. He urged Team India's batsmen to capitalize on the same.

Team India will play three of their five Tests during the upcoming series in England in the month of August. The Test series will kick-off with the first match in Nottingham from August 4. On Friday, the Team India contingent, which was practicing in Durham for the last two weeks, headed to Nottingham.

Taking to his official Twitter account, Azhar pointed out why batting is comparatively easier in England in the month of August. He explained:

“August is a great month to score runs in England. In my experience, the wickets are dry and the batting conditions are conducive this month. Batsmen should capitalise on this #IndVsEng #readytoconquer.”

Azhar himself had an impressive Test record in England. He played nine matches for Team India in England and scored 625 runs at an average of 41.66 with two hundreds. Azhar toured England thrice for Test series’ - 1986, 1990 and 1996.

August is a great month to score runs in England. In my experience, the wickets are dry and the batting conditions are conducive this month. Batsmen should capitalise on this. #IndVsEng #readytoconquer

— Mohammed Azharuddin (@azharflicks) July 30, 2021

Team India overly dependent on one or two batters in overseas conditions: VVS Laxman

Another former Indian batsman VVS Laxman claimed that Team India are too dependent on one or two batsmen, especially when playing in challenging conditions like England. He urged captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri to look into the issue.

Speaking on Star Sports’ show Game Plan, Laxman commented:

“I believe the overall mindset of the Indian team has changed. With the win in Australia in 2020, the way they beat Australia in Brisbane and win the series in that fashion, in spite a lot of first-choice players not being available, shows that there’s a lot of depth and character in this team. I think the fast-bowling unit has become very formidable, and they are high on confidence from the way they have performed all over the world.”

Laxman, however, added:

“One thing that Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli need to address is - the match-winning performances from their batsmen. They are overly depend on one or two batters in overseas conditions, especially in conditions like England. If you want to beat England in a five-Test series, then you want to have a collective performance from your batting unit. You can’t expect one or two batsmen to perform, and then you expect to win the series. And that is something that Ravi Shastri and Virat Kohli would like to address.”

Thank you @DurhamCricket for having us over. We enjoyed our time here 🙌🙌 https://t.co/uQCXryt4Te pic.twitter.com/EiFehCpN2H

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 30, 2021

Team India have not won a Test series in England since 2007. They were hammered 1-4 during their previous visit in 2018.