English cricketer Zak Crawley has provided insight into England’s recent tour of India, pointing out both the aspects that went well and those that still want improvement as fans of the game prepare for another exciting season of cricket.
Despite their difficulties on the India trip, Zak Crawley underlined England’s steadfast faith in their offensive style in an exclusive interview at the Kia Oval on the eve of the county season. Thinking back on the opportunities lost, particularly in that crucial fourth Test in Ranchi, Crawley conceded that he needed to do a better job of seizing commanding positions.
“We never really lost faith and had the same attitude, as you can tell from some of our press!” As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, Crawley made a reference to the team’s upbeat perspective in spite of some challenging situations on the pitch.
We never changed our mindset, and I don’t consider it to be arrogant. We really thought we could win the series, and we had faith in ourselves. Every game included us. We gave ourselves a fair shot because, to be fair, we weren’t quite as clinical as they were, but we weren’t in the games when I was in India the last time,” he remarked.
England lost the series against India 4-1, but it could have gone differently if they had taken advantage of crucial opportunities, especially in Ranchi, where they lost a chance to even the score.
Zak Crawley underlined the value of being clinical, pointing to India’s capacity to grab hold of momentum and exploit opportunities.
“We could have tied the game at two with a victory in Ranchi, but you never know how the final one turns out. It is never easy to regain the upper hand. They are an incredible team, and over the course of five days, their skills will always be on display. We gave it a solid shot, and it was a really entertaining tour with lots to learn,” he continued.
Zak Crawley was happy with his own performance despite the series defeat, pointing out a notable improvement over prior years. He attributed his success on the tour to his ability to change his perspective and adapt, especially while facing spin.
“Hopefully I can push on from here but I certainly feel in a better place now than I did at the start of last year,” Crawley stated. “I feel like you start becoming worse if I attempt to maintain [my form], so I’m constantly trying to get better.
“I tried to get forward to smother the ball against spin, and that kind of worked for me. In my setup, my head is much farther forward than it used to be. Mostly though, it’s simply my mindset. I am making a greater effort to accept failure as a necessary part of the game. I’m attempting to adhere to that, he continued.
Zak Crawley provided details on his training program me and the methods he employed to improve his batting, such as taking fast deliveries from bowling machines. On the other hand, bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah presented special difficulties because of their quickness and unconventional style, which called for rapid thinking and flexibility in the field.
“I was certainly conscious of that in the summer against the Aussies,” he stated. “I just thought, ‘there are a couple of good balls in here, I just need to put them under pressure early’, so that was more of a conscious effort,” he said.