Sachin Tendulkar previews England-West Indies series with Brian Lara

International cricket is back! We all waited for 116 days and finally cricket returns in a way what is now called as ‘new normal’. The action not only excites cricket fans but even legends are taken by it. Two of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara chatted with each other about the upcoming series and shared their views on the players to watch out for.

With Joe Root taking a break from the first Test for personal reasons, Ben Stokes has stepped up to become the 81st England captain in Test cricket. The all-rounder enjoyed a spectacular run of form in 2019 and the legends discussed his role as a captain.

“I always feel controlled aggression produces results and so far whatever I have seen, the aggression has been there but it is controlled…From what he (Stokes) has been through in the recent past to where he is today it is a total transformation and it can happen only to someone who is mentally strong,” Tendulkar said.

The duo also discussed the West Indian captain who currently sits at the top of the all-rounders ranking in Test cricket – Jason Holder.

Tendulkar praised Holder as an “underrated player – someone you’d love to have in the team,” while Lara gave his opinion on Holder’s captaincy, “The leadership of Jason Holder is critical. I was disappointed that he wasn’t made captain for a long time. You saw how it worked out handing over the reins to a young captain with Graeme Smith for South Africa. A young captain surrounded by experienced players who went on to do well.”

Both the world-class batsmen next analysed Kemar Roach, Shai Hope and England’s veteran bowler James Anderson. Lara opined that Hope will be one of the mainstays at the crease for West Indies. However, the batsman will need support from his bowlers. The Trinidadian also added that West Indies do not have what it takes to survive all five days of Test cricket and they will need to grab the initiative. Tendulkar added that Anderson will be the key bowler for England. He acknowledged the hype around Jofra Archer’s pace but backed Anderson and Stuart Broad to provide a solid foundation for Archer to succeed.

Less than 9 hours to go for Cricket to resume. I caught up with my friend @sachin_rt virtually ? to have a chat about the West Indian side that has travelled to England to kickstart the game we love. #ENGvWI @ECB_cricket @windiescricket pic.twitter.com/gkTa1yYVtS

— Brian Lara (@BrianLara) July 8, 2020