Gough picks under “pressure” England as “favourites” against India, but outlines repercussions of defeat

London [UK], May 29 (ANI): Former right-arm quick Darren Gough mapped out the rewards and repercussions of the results England produces against the two modern-day giants, India and Australia, in the upcoming high-stakes series this year.

England embarked on a jam-packed summer Test schedule by conjuring a commanding victory by an innings and 45 runs against Zimbabwe in a one-off Test at Trent Bridge last week.

The Three Lions will engage in three ODIs and as many T20Is against the West Indies before shifting their focus to the five high-stakes Tests against India, scheduled for June 20 at Headingley.

With India bereft of its batting bigwigs Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who announced their retirements more than a month before the series opener, Gough sees England as “favourites".

“We should win the ODIs against the West Indies. But then there is the India series. That is going to be the test of the England side. India are missing Sharma and Kohli, so England will be the favourites," Gough told Sky Sports.

Since Brendon McCullum sat at the helm of England’s red-ball head coach, the Ben Stokes-led side introduced and established the brand of ‘Bazball’ in the Test format.

The electrifying style of approaching the format, instead of relying on the pre-established norms, has brewed mixed results for the English side. Under McCullum’s watch, England hasn’t qualified or posed a challenge for the World Test Championship mace in the last two cycles.

With the Ashes in view, Gough believes McCullum and co. will face major questions about their past deeds if they flounder against India and Australia.

“If England beats India and Australia, then you could actually say this team is the best in the world. If England loses against India and Australia, you could say that it has been all about in the last three or four years. There is a lot of pressure on this England team to perform," he added. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)

Sports