IND vs ENG: Brendon McCullum fires warning to India ahead of the 2nd test

England head coach Brendon McCullum has fired warning ahead of the second IND vs ENG test.

England test team coach Brendon McCullum fired the first warning to the Indian team ahead of the second of the five-match test series. This encounter will be played at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam from February 2.

England made a brave call to bench James Anderson and went with three specialist spinners, Joe Root and one pacer Mark Wood for the first test in Hyderabad. But with the second test scheduled in Vizag, the pitch is expected to turn from day one and more spin is expected on subsequent days, Brendon McCullum said England “won’t be afraid” to name an all-spin attack.

England stunningly won the first test as they fought back from conceding a first-innings lead of 190 to triumph on the fourth day. Spinner Tom Hartley took seven wickets in the second innings while Mark Wood, the only seamer in the side, went wicketless across 25 overs in the match.

There are injury issues with Jack Leach after he hurt his knee in Hyderabad and his workload was managed. But if he’s fit then there’s a chance England could go without a pace option, with Shoaib Bashir available after a delayed arrival due to visa issues.

“Bash [Bashir], he was obviously with us during our camp in Abu Dhabi and he really impressed with his skillset. He fitted in seamlessly within the group and he’s a guy who’s got an immense amount of enthusiasm, albeit at a young age and pretty limited in his first-class experience.

Like Tom Hartley, he was a guy who we looked at and we thought he’s got some skills which could assist us in these conditions. The visa situation, that’s just life, right? Sometimes that happens and everyone was doing everything that they can to try and resolve the situation. There’s just some red tape you’ve got to cut through at times,” Brendon McCullum said on SENZ radio.

“When he arrived, boys gave him a huge cheer and he got to witness something pretty special with the fellas bowling us to a Test win. He comes into calculations for the next Test match. If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won’t be afraid to play all spinners, or a balance of what we’ve got,” Baz added.

Brendon McCullum praises Ben Stokes for showing confidence in Tom Hartley despite poor start

Hartley delivered one of the highlight performances of the first test, going from leaking runs in the first innings to grabbing seven wickets in the second. Brendon McCullum lauded England captain Ben Stokes for demonstrating “remarkable” leadership by allowing Hartley to shine.

“He [Hartley] has only played a handful of first-class games and was probably a bit of a punt, selection-wise. But we saw something in him that we thought would work over there and he’s a tough character.

The way that the skipper handled him was quite remarkable and he brought us to a Test win…I thought that was a real sign of leadership. It was a clear message to not just Tom, but those that are around the squad, that when we talk about freedom, taking the game on, and trying to come in and make a difference, you’re not going to be cast aside or taken off the crease from the first sign of danger,” McCullum said.

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