Going by present form, India start as favourites against England in tomorrow’s high-profile World Cup match but rival captain Andrew Strauss today said his team would be looking to spoil the home team’s party in front of a jam-packed M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
Strauss said there was plenty of excitement among his team-mates for tomorrow’s match and the pressure would be more on the Indians than on Englishmen.
“There is huge sense of anticipation right now. After the opening game, it is a huge occasion for us. Playing against India on their own turf is a great opportunity for us,” he told reporters at the pre-match press conference.
“We just need to focus on playing smart cricket. In some ways, perhaps there is more pressure on India than us in this game. We want to play according to our plans and put them under pressure.
“Potentially, it is huge day for us because we need to send out pretty strong signals to other sides tomorrow. We are excited and confident about tomorrow’s game. We will love to spoil an Indian party in Bangalore tomorrow,” Strauss said.
Even though he admitted that India are a formidable side at home, Strauss said England possess a good track record when it comes to pressure games.
“There is no doubt that they (India) are a strong side in home conditions. We played well against them in England but in India we have not played well enough. I think our bowlers were not smart enough and I think that was crucial.
“Having said that we played a lot of good cricket in the last 24 months or so and we are proud about that. In big high pressure games we can perform well and this is one of such high pressure games. We are very confident of doing well,” he said.
Strauss, however, said champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who in all likelihood is playing his last World Cup, and destructive Virender Sehwag can pose a serious threat to England’s chances tomorrow.
“Sachin Tendulkar is one of the mammoths of world cricket for the last two decades. The fact that he has been doing the same thing for so long and with so much consistency is a great testimony of his preparation for a game. He is absolutely a great legend,” he said.
Asked whether England have got specific plans up their sleeves to stop Sehwag, who scored a blistering 175 against Bangladesh in the tournament-opener, Strauss said, “Yes. No doubt we have plans for him.
“A player like Sehwag will score quickly if he stays at the wicket for more time. If we can get couple of wickets early, we can put their batting under pressure.”
