"Smog Made It Tough": Harry Brook on Spin Challenges in Kolkata

England's white-ball vice-captain, Harry Brook has said that the smoggy conditions in Kolkata made it much more difficult to read India’s spinners in the first T20I of the five-match series. England was struggling in the game as well, losing by 7 wickets. Brook has said he is hoping for clearer air when they move on to Chennai’s Chepauk for the second T20I on Saturday.

The two teams had very different game plans for the first match. England opted for four pacers and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, while India relied on three spinners and just one genuine pacer, Arshdeep Singh.

Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel were the stars with the ball, taking five wickets between them, while Ravi Bishnoi kept things tight with his economical spell. Brook fell as Chakravarthy’s first victim, bowled through the gate by a googly he failed to pick. The mystery spinner went on to claim three wickets, playing a key role in India’s dominant win.

“Chakaravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler, but with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick. Hopefully, the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier," Harry Brook said.

“Facing spin in T20 cricket is probably the hardest thing in the game, especially because I always get out trying to absolutely smack it. Maybe I’ve got to rein in a little bit, but we’ll see. I think I do have a method. It’s just trying to do it consistently and more often. I come in in the middle order, so the first few balls I face are usually off-spin. If I get out early, it’s usually against a spinner, so maybe my stats aren’t as good against spin, but there’s always going to be criticism in some parts," Brook added.

Harry Brook has had success in India before, remembers that one unbeaten century against Varun Chakravarthy and KKR during IPL 2023, but has not been able to replicate that in this series so far.

Despite Chepauk being a spin-friendly wicket, England is likely to persist with their pace-heavy approach for the second T20I. They have brought in Brydon Carse, an outright pacer, in the place of Gus Atkinson, who also has a batting depth. Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith is another option going forward as England looks to turn things around.