Manchester, July 21: As the high-voltage five-match Test series between England and India enters its decisive stages, England batter Harry Brook has played down suggestions of dominance despite his team’s 2-1 lead ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford starting on Wednesday.
With India desperate to stay alive in the series and the fourth Test at Manchester potentially threatened by rain, Brook believes England must stay sharp and united, especially with the stakes rising and emotions boiling over. “We’re in a strong position and happy with how the games have gone so far,” Brook said at the pre-match press conference. “They’ve been intense and good to watch. But we know India is a strong side, and we’re expecting another challenge at Old Trafford, depending on the surface. Hopefully, we can go out there and beat them again.”
Brook dismissed any notion that England had India “on the ropes” after their dramatic win at Lord’s. Instead, he acknowledged India’s resilience. “I wouldn’t say that. India is a side that can bounce back at any stage. We saw that after we beat them at Headingley, they came back strong at Edgbaston. We’ve just got to go out and do our thing, and hopefully, we come out on top again.”
The Lord’s Test lit a fire under the series with its intense verbal exchanges and high drama. Brook recalled how the team responded to India’s sledging: “We saw them going at Creeps [Zak Crawley] and Ducky [Ben Duckett], so we had a little chat. We thought, ‘We’re a team, we may as well get together and go back at them.’ It felt like 11 versus 2 when we were fielding. It was tiring, but it actually made fielding a lot more enjoyable.”Asked whether such exchanges enhance the game, Brook was emphatic. “I’ve had a lot of compliments. People said it was awesome to watch. We try to play in the spirit of the game as much as possible. That night, we reassessed things and thought it was the right time to go back at them.”Brook believes the sledging might have tilted the momentum in England’s favour. “Yeah, I think so. It added a bit of pressure on them. They were chasing a low score on a tough pitch, and maybe that verbal battle helped tip the scales. Thankfully, they ended up crumbling, and we won.” (IANS)
