India's Missing Link Vs England Could Be Reverse Swing

While India begins favorites against England in the upcoming four-Test series since they are playing at home, their two top exponents of reverse swing, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami, will be missing

"It obviously could come into play. I think a lot of people understand that if it does, it is a quite important weapon for bowlers on both sides. Any movement which seam bowlers can get, whether that is normal swing or reverse swing is often the key for putting pressure on batsmen," Thorpe said in response to a question from IANS during a virtual media interaction on Friday.

"We'll see as the series plays out and how much reverse is on show," he added when asked if England will have an advantage.

The wickets are unlikely to turn from the first session meaning that pace bowlers will be crucial at home.

Former India pace bowler Manoj Prabhakar, who was himself very adept at using the reverse swing, said that the presence of Anderson in the England camp and the absence of Shami and Yadav in the host camp means the series may not be easy for India.

"It won't be that easy. Most of our bowlers in the squad hit the deck. For reverse, you need bowlers who release the ball like Shami. Besides, you need experience. I don't know if Siraj and Co. are good at the reverse swing, but both Shami and Yadav are very experienced and will be missed," Prabhakar told IANS.

The last time England traveled to India in 2016, Shami and Yadav were India's most successful pace bowlers with a combined tally of 18 wickets. The series was, however, dominated by spin with 68 of the 93 English wickets falling to Indian spinners.

Quite surprisingly, despite his 2012-13 exploits, Anderson couldn't make an impression in 2016. He picked just four wickets in three Tests. England also didn't bowl him much - just 79 overs in three Tests.

A year later, Anderson's tour of Sri Lanka, too, was similarly unproductive. He picked one wicket in 41 overs across two Tests.

But this time Anderson picked a six-wicket haul in the only Test he played against Sri Lanka, in Galle, where he also bowled 29 overs in an innings.