Former England skipper Michael Vaughan wants the English team to change their batting order against India when the two teams take on each other in the five-match Test series in 2025. Vaughan reckons India’s gun fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah isn’t as effective against the left-handers as he is while bowling to the right-handers.
Ergo, Vaughan suggested that England must have two southpaws in their top three, advising captain Ben Stokes to promote himself in the batting order and bat at one down.
Bumrah was at his absolute best in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia, returning with match figures of 8-72 and thus he bagged the Player of the Match. Out of Bumrah’s eight wickets, three of his scalps were left-handers in the opening Test whereas he feasted on five right-handed batsmen.
Michael Vaughan wrote in his column for the Telegraph, “I think that simple swap is perfect for the year England have coming up. In one Test in Australia, I’ve seen live why England need another left-hander in the top three. Jasprit Bumrah fizzily arcs the ball into the right-hander’s pads with the brand new ball, and caused absolute carnage for the likes of Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith. Left-handers are better suited to facing Bumrah.”
Vaughan reckons it will make sense to have Ben Stokes at number three in the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia.
“It would be handy to have Stokes at No 3 in Australia, too, because the extra left-hander might tempt Australia to use Nathan Lyon earlier, which in turn means the quicks are not bowling in the short window that the ball swings.”
Meanwhile, Harry Brook scored a majestic knock of 171 runs in the opening Test against New Zealand, which England won by eight wickets. Vaughan reckons Brook’s only weakness is when the ball spins big.
“Brook is very special, a wonderful player. He has that rare gift of total stillness, of making the ball look like it is coming down at 55 mph when it obviously isn’t. As we saw in Pakistan, Brook’s only weakness is when the ball spins big. In these conditions, and against pace more generally, he is superb. I don’t think he needs to change much, looking ahead to India and Australia. There are two areas I’d bowl to him – wide of off-stump and at his left shoulder.”
England and New Zealand will take on each other in the second Test at Wellington on December 6.
