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

Sachin Tendulkar Shares Batting Tips for India's Young Team Ahead of England Test Series

Sachin Tendulkar; Shubman Gill and Ravindra Jadeja.

Sachin Tendulkar, whose name now graces the Test series between England and India alongside Jimmy Anderson, has offered valuable advice to the inexperienced Indian batting lineup. As they prepare for the five-match Test series in Headingley, Leeds, Tendulkar's insights could prove crucial.

Led by Shubman Gill, who faces a significant challenge as both batter and captain, India enters the series in a period of transition. The recent retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin have left the team navigating unfamiliar territory.

Notably, several potential top-order batsmen, including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair, are poised to make their Test debut in England. Among them, only Nair and KL Rahul hold averages exceeding 40 against the red ball in the UK.

"Yashasvi has gained considerable experience, having toured South Africa and Australia, facing formidable bowling attacks. While he's new, he's had that exposure," Tendulkar noted during a virtual media interaction. "KL Rahul, is an experienced player. Sai Sudarshan looks impressive with a good technique. Shubman has a fair amount of experience now and Karun Nair has tasted success at the international level and has played County cricket."

Tendulkar emphasized the unpredictable nature of a long series. "Every day, every session may produce a new challenge. The journey would be smooth at times, rocky at others. But that's part of a long series. There are going to be ups and downs. Not all sessions are going to be smooth, it won't be a comfortable ride all the time," he cautioned.

He urged the team to capitalize on dominant positions, ensuring the opposition feels the pressure. "When you are in a dominant position, we must make it count, and make sure that the opposition pays a price for that. Focus on winning sessions. Take small steps at a time and keep constructing on that solid foundation."

The first Test in Headingley, according to Tendulkar, will be pivotal in setting the tone for the series. "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."

India will also confront England's aggressive "Bazball" approach to Test cricket. Tendulkar acknowledged the evolution of playing styles, recalling instances where innovative shots were initially met with skepticism.

"England have been playing aggressively, and that's their style of play. 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 advised.

He emphasized the importance of adapting to change and practicing unconventional shots to gain confidence. "The formats of the game have become shorter and that has encouraged players to play different brand of cricket."

Ultimately, Tendulkar believes that both teams aim to dominate the game. "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," he concluded.

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. While travelling, he was informed of the decision and called it a "nice recognition".

He also felt it was important to reach out to the family of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, whose name featured on the trophy earlier. After discussions with the BCCI, the ECB and Jay Shah, Tendulkar was able to convince the stakeholders to present the winning captain with a newly-instituted Pataudi Medal for Excellence.

Tendulkar reminisced about first hearing of Jimmy Anderson from Nasser Hussain. "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. But I don't think at that point of time, in 2003, even Nasser thought that Jimmy would get 700 wickets [704 wickets] for England. It's a remarkable career," Tendulkar said.

"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 also 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 and those kind of elements in your action. 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," Tendulkar concluded.