Mumbai Indians’ Talent Scout Vinay Kumar has revealed his thoughts on India’s performance in England so far. He is mighty impressed with the Indian pacers, and rightfully so, given their ability to take all wickets across the two games.

In an exclusive interview with Mumbai Indians, the former Indian pacer speaks about Rohit Sharma’s batting, adapting to the English conditions and Suryakumar Yadav’s upward graph.

Thoughts on the first two Tests

“It’s been great for Team India. To see those two Test matches, the way they played after losing the World Test Championship final, the way they came back, especially in the first match, even though the conditions were challenging. The way both the openers played - Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul - a positive intent was there. Even though they were leaving the ball, the way they were batting, they clearly knew where their off-stump was. In that way, an attacking mindset was there, I’d say. Not just hitting, even leaving the ball was done well. The approach was completely different. That was really heartening to see the way they started.”

“When it comes to bowling, especially in the first match, the way Bumrah bowled was amazing. Most of them were questioning his form. But the way he came back, proved himself and got nine wickets in one match, it was an unbelievable performance from him. Overall if you look at his Test match, the way they played was great. Unfortunately on the last day, when India needed 157 runs to win the Test match, the rain played spoilsport. They were on the verge of winning the first Test, but the rain didn’t let it happen.”

“When it comes to the second Test, the way they came back with the same fighting spirit they’d shown earlier, the Rahul-Rohit innings, it was unbelievable to watch. Rahul wasn’t a first-choice opener, but the way he performed was great. Having Rohit as an opener has been a lot of help for Rahul. Having a senior, who has performed so well for so many years, and having inputs on playing in English conditions, all this helped Rahul, making Rohit an advantage for him.”

“The way the bowlers bowled, Siraj, Ishant, Shami - everyone did pretty well, especially the fourth innings. Most people thought India might lose that game. But the third innings batting performance, the way Pujara and Rahane batted, the way Pujara played 200-odd balls to score 40-odd runs with Rahane scoring his 50, was great.”

“More than anything, the Bumrah and Shami partnership was crucial. They are bowlers, but the way they were batting, the efforts that they put in the nets was clearly shown in the match. They even came back to get England all-out. It was an unbelievable team effort. It was superb to watch. The credit goes to Virat. The way he is setting the example along with seniors like Rohit and Ishant coming together to make things happen helped.”

Expectations from Headingley Test

“The morale will be high for India. Bowlers have started getting runs in the lower order. It is going to be a very good game. England too had some injuries and have brought in new faces. They are also not going to give up easily, and will come hard at us. But the way the team is preparing, it is going to be a very good match.”

Importance of having experience in English conditions

“Spending more time in the English conditions definitely helps. In the World Test Championships, they didn’t have any practice matches, but here they did and they knew the conditions well. That really helped them prepare for this series. Also, the way Rohit and Rahul are playing is unbelievable to watch.”

“Everyone knows Rohit is a great ODI and T20 player, but this showed that in Tests too, he can score those runs. The way he’s batting now, helps KL Rahul too. Rohit’s inputs will help him play bowlers like Anderson, who swing the ball well in English conditions. Rahul is not the regular opener. But since he’s got this opportunity, he’s trying to cement his place. It is really good to see both play really well.”

On Indian pace attack

“The way the fast bowlers are bowling, it’s great to see. The mindset itself has totally changed. If you can see, whoever gets the ball gives more than their 100%. The fighting spirit can be seen. Whoever is getting an opportunity, their effort is shown, they are putting up performances for the team. Starting with Bumrah in the first Test, he took 9 wickets, then Ishant in the next, who gave crucial breakthroughs and Siraj took those wickets.”

“When Shardul was there, he did well, Shami too took wickets. Overall, it is a properly packed seam attack. The icing on the cake is their batting. You can look at the way the lower and the lower middle order has scored runs. Those steady 30-40 runs will become very crucial for Team India.”

The mind games against England

“India definitely has an edge over England in the mind games. Knowing Virat, and you know what happened when Bumrah and Shami were batting, there was an exchange of words. You can clearly see Virat coming out of the dressing room and showing concern. That is the best part of this team. If the opposition takes a dig at you, all the XI Indian players will be there to support you. That is great to see. Knowing that, such tactics might not work for England.”

On Surya’s progress

“It’s been unbelievable to see the graph Surya is going through. It is only going up and hopefully it remains the same. Whenever he gets a chance, he will definitely do well because when he landed a chance in T20s and ODIs, he never looked like a newcomer. After playing so many years of domestic cricket, knowing his game well and performing well in IPL, it helped him mature as a cricketer. He is definitely ready to play Test cricket too and whenever he gets an opportunity, I hope he does whatever he does in ODIs and T20s.”

“The biggest plus point about him is that he is a very mature cricketer. He has played so much domestic cricket, India A games and has performed really well. It has helped him go there and express himself without thinking much about what others see outside. When he made his T20 and ODI debuts, he went and played his normal game. He starts off with a six if he can, that is the attitude he has and whenever he gets that opportunity, he will do the same thing in Tests too.”

India meets England at Headingley, Leeds on Wednesday, 25th August 2021 at 3.30 PM IST.