Broad lauds India's heroics vs Aus, admits difficult to defeat hosts but 'not impregnable'

Acknowledging the enormity of the Test series against India which is slated to begin from February 5, veteran England pacer Stuart Broad has remarked that India will be riding high on confidence after the historic series win against Australia recently. Commending Team India's achievement, Broad admitted that England 'admired' the Men in Blue's performance against the Aussies. However, setting his eyes on the series win, the pacer added that India have now turned the 'enemy' and that England will have to 'build' their own strengths. 

Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Broad said, "This is not an easy place to tour, and India's confidence will be sky high from winning at the Gabba to complete a series victory in Australia earlier this month. I can tell you that they had supporters within this England team throughout that decisive match in Brisbane."

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'Kohli is one of the best'

Broad also took note of the 'Virat Kohli' threat that Team India possess and labelled him as 'the best'. In the same breath, he also noted that England are entering the series in a great form after whitewashing Sri Lanka 2-0 recently. "Virat Kohli is one of the best I've ever seen but if we go through all their positives we will be defeated before we've even begun. We need to build on our own strengths. We are entering the series in great form ourselves," Broad wrote. 

Highlighting England's core squad which comprises of batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders in the top 10 of the world rankings, Broad admitted that it would be difficult to defeat India in their den but it would be 'one of the most remarkable' series if the visitors manage to pull it off. 

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India's squad for first 2 Tests 

The Test series which is set to begin from February 5, will witness the return of skipper Virat Kohli who had travelled back home after the first Test against Australia. The selection panel led by Chetan Sharma has also brought back veteran speedster Ishant Sharma, who had been ruled out of the Australia tour with an injury whereas Hardik Pandya will also don the whites despite having lost his father a few days ago. 

England will be visiting India for an all-format bilateral series that will go on for almost two months. The gruelling tour with the English cricket team comprises four Test matches, five T20Is, and three ODIs up until March 28. The five-match Test series will also constitute a major part of the ongoing inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

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Meanwhile, English selectors have brought stars Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes back into the squad as they set their eyes on the World Test Championship. England has announced 16-man strong squad with an additional six members slated to travel as reserves. Joe Root will continue to lead the side while Moeen Ali, who was infected with COVID-19 in Sri Lanka, will travel to India for the Test series. Rory Burns will also return to the squad. Ollie Pope has also been included in the touring party, however, he will only be included if deemed fit. 

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