‘It looks like it’s going to spin’ – Brendon McCullum on pitch conditions for England’s tour of India

The English team’s head coach Brendon McCullum recently analysed the pitch for the first test match of the five-match series of England’s tour of India, which will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad from 25 to 29 January 2024. After the practice session, McCullum believes that the pitch will favour the spinners a lot and the fans can experience an entertaining game. 

Brendon McCullum also talked about the great opportunities Indian pitches bring for the players and the team management to play around while giving entertaining performances. He also appreciated the Indian crowds for giving massive support and turning in on the grounds, which adds to the performances of the players as they strive to perform better. 

Brendon McCullum on England’s scope for tour of India 

While talking to ESPNcricinfo, Brendon McCullum said, “It looked good. It looks like it’s going to spin. It may not turn right from the word go, but you’d think at some stage it will turn and I’m sure spin will be a huge factor throughout the series.” 

“When we started out on this journey a fair while ago we wanted to provide as much entertainment as we possibly can. We felt that gave us the best chance as well. What better stage to do it on – against India, in India? There’ll be many eyeballs watching around the world and it’s a huge opportunity for us.” 

He further stated, “India is the land of opportunity, and that’s what sits in front of us now. That’s the exciting thing. how long the games go, I’ve no idea but I’m sure both teams will stick to their respective styles. Throughout the Ashes, it was two heavyweights going at it with different styles, and I expect it to be the same in this series,” 

India’s squad for the first two Test Matches: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan

*Virat Kohli opted out due to personal reasons 

England Test squad: Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (Wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

Full Test Schedule for England’s tour of India