England batter Harry Brook blamed the smog for England batters’ struggle against the Indian spinners in the first T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India defeated the Jos Buttler-les team by 7 wickets as the visiting batters failed to tackle Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Ravi Bishnoi. The trio conceded just 67 runs and picked up 5 wickets in 12 overs.
Brook was dismissed by Chakravarthy as the batter failed to read the line and length of the bowler. The right-handed batter felt that conditions were not ideal for batting, saying that he hopes for better visibility in the Chennai T20I.
“Chakravarthy is a good bowler but due to smog, he was harder to pick. Hopefully the air is a bit clear and we can see the ball easily in Chennai,” he said.
Brook is looking to contribute as England eyes a win in the second game at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium. Brook has been impressive for England across formats and is the No.1 batter in the ICC Test Rankings for Batters. His batting average is almost 59 in the longest format of the game but he wants to better his performance against spinners.
“It is not easy to play spinners in T20 cricket. I am trying to hit hard, but maybe I have to give some time before going for the shots. I bat in the middle order when spinners are operating.
“I usually get out early against spinners and that’s why my stats are not good against them. There is always going to be criticism in some parts,” he concluded.
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