26 February,2011 07:28 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
Not overawed by the luminaries in India's batting line-up, England fast bowler Stuart Broad wants his side to spoil the hosts' party on Sunday by playing a fearless brand of cricket.
Stuart Broad
Broad, who flew back home midway through the Ashes series with an abdomen injury, reckons his side has the wherewithal to go neck-and-neck with India's celebrating batsmen. "We'll sit down and discuss how to deal with each of their batsmen, because we know they are one of the most powerful line-ups in the world. We know it is a good time to bat against the new ball in the sub-continent ufffd so we've got to try and make some early inroads. Otherwise it will become difficult to stop them. We have the tools to curb their aggressive batsmen," he told reporters yesterday.
The 24-year old said it was important for the England batsmen to 'get excited' at the prospect of facing Indian bowlers on a relatively flat surface. "We will play the way have played our cricket for the last 18 months - try to be fearless, and if you think a shot's on you take it on. Our batsmen are excited about the opportunity of facing India's bowlers, they are a world-class team but there's no reason we can't express ourselves like we have done against Pak and SA in the summer," added a confident Broad.
In the last 24 months, England have won back-to-back Ashes series, squared a Test series in South Africa, and won the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. "We have got to a few finals, but not won it," Broad said of England's poor World Cup record. "But that is in the past - and since Andy Flower took over, we have been changing the history of English cricket," he said.
