England’s third test opportunity with Dom Bess | Vaughany & Tuffers Cricket Club Podcast

Ben, Michael and Phil look ahead to the third Test between India and England in Rajkot. England’s bowling line-up has taken a hit with Jack Leach ruled out for the series and the question marks over Rehan Ahmed’s availability, after he became the latest player to encounter visa issues, also disrupted preparation.

England and Yorkshire spinner Dom Bess joins the show to discuss his current form and his hopes to break back into the England setup. He explains how Bazball has affected how he plays county cricket and gives us his opinion on how England should approach the rest of the series, having played in India last time around in 2021.

Plus, we check in with the Telegraph’s Chief Cricket correspondent Nick Hoult from Rajkot, who provides an update from the ground ahead of the action on Thursday.

#cricket #indiacricket #benstokes #viratkohli

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Away for another vau Boundary well he’s a great fieldsman Philip tner he often Falls over and he’s brought it into his batting as Well hello everyone and welcome to the VOR and ters Cricket Club podcast brought to you by the telegraph Michael Vaughn Phil tufnel and me Ben Wright with once again as we look ahead to the third test between England and India in rajot but they returned to India without

Two of their main spin options Jack leech will miss the remainder of the tour with injury and Ryan armed has become the latest player to run into Visa complications we’ll get an update on those later in the podcast delighted to say our guest today is the Yorkshire

And England spinner Dom Bess Dom started his first class career playing alongside Lee in Somerset and was part of the last England side to play away in India we’ll get his thoughts on how England should approach approached the third test and if he’s had any contact with the

Management team about featuring on this tour plus we’ll check in with our man on the ground Nick Holt who joins us from the oval in Rajot right morning Mike morning Phil how are you both I’m all right all right it’s nice uh nice and bright up in chesher so it’s uh a nice day for it looking forward to the next test match the uh England players have had a week in Abu Dhabi getting a bit of sunshine

And a bit of golf no that a bit an an R&R a bit of involvement uh in a bit of Socials which is good for them uh looking forward to the next test can’t wait for it and we know that they they left their their Cricket gear in in India they didn’t

Even take it to Abu Dhabi uh what do we think of that approach Phil presumably you’re you’re all for it absolutely uh five test match Series in India um it’s it’s a big ask of the players they’re going to be tough cricket it uh mentally and physically

It’s going to be a sort of series about endurance as well as mental toughness um and so uh I reckon it’s a good idea to go away have a break see the families come back recharged and ready to go again why not I think it’s a good idea

So good idea to go to Abu Dhabi good idea to have a break from cricket um but we do have another Visa issue it seems because rayan armed has been denied entry it seems like he was only on a single entry visa and so it’s different to the bashier situation where

Then we obviously criticize India for not letting him in but this time it seems like it’s the ECB that’s what so Ben can I why is it that rayan’s on a single entrance Visa obviously if you know that you’re going to India and then you know you’re GNA fly to Abu Dhabi so

There’s your single gone yeah is there somewhere somehow in administration at the ECB that it’s not being done properly and it feels like it doesn’t it we don’t know the full details but if you know that you are going to be entering India multiple times yes twice uh then a

Single entry Visa seems like uh not the way to go well it’s easy for us to point the finger at India and and what’s happening over there I I think there’s someone at the ECB that’s not quite got this right uh I don’t know who that

Someone is um the sh bashier one that was probably similar and we pointed the finger at the Indian authorities on that occasion and you know just maybe someone’s not quite filled in enough there’s a lot of forms you have to fill in there’s a lot of detail that you have

To go into and maybe uh someone at the ECB just hasn’t quite gone through the detail as much as uh they should have done but at least he’s there at least he’s been able to practice I’m sure they’ll get it sorted and I have no question I’m sure he’ll be available for

Selection yeah I mean it is complicated but OE olle Robinson had a problem as well didn’t he because it sounds like he filled out of form I’m not letting them do my holiday Arrangements if I’m going to go on tour n they’re not a great adver if the ECB

Suddenly want to Branch out like Cricket Australia and have like uh their own travel companies so whenever Australia travel abroad you have to pay through the uh the Australian cricket boards travel um kind of segment I’m not too sure I’m booking my travel through the ECB no me

Neither could end up anywhere do the air probably home yeah so we got issues with ahed we know that Jack leech is um out for the whole tour now poor Jack leech because of his knee injury so but we were talking last week about the the possibility of England playing two

Seamers and it sounds like there’s uh the pitch might talked to um um Nick Hol later but it sounds like the the pitch might be um a bit bit of a green top good for the seamers how do you see the lineup the bowling lineup uh for this

Test Mike well I saw Ben Stokes in um rajot having a bowl so is that is that an indication that Ben’s going to be the second seam if it is it’s a massive Plus for England because that strengthens the batting um do they need three seam

Options in India probably not so Ben can bow you 12 or 15 a day and again I don’t know the full scale of that injury and how much he can can’t do but to see him bowling is a great Plus for him and and generally with Ben when you see him

Bowling he will end up bowling in the next test match so um look Jimmy Anderson certainly plays if Ben can do a role with the seam I think they’ll go with Ben and Jimmy and and all the SE and all the Spinners uh if Ben can’t do

A rooll with with with obviously the ball in hand I think they’ll have to play on olle Robinson because radcot generally feel it’s flat lot of runs there lot of runs and you might need a a few different different variations obviously you spin variations but I

Think with the seamers you can hold an ending you can bow dots you can bowl Ma you can put fielders in front of the back and I think you’ll get a little bit of reverse swing so I do think they need two seam options in rajot and and also I think that India

Have just seen the way that England have gone about the the way they’ve played in the last couple of test matches and I don’t think that they’ll be that confident as they were at the start of the series about their spin options so I think that’s probably why they might

Have just thought to themselves give our seamers a little bit of help especially if we do lose the toss um I think England will go with the two seamers even if Ben is fit I I think that he’s just going to be an option I think it’s

A huge risk if it’s going to be flat and uh and there is that little bit of grass and that little bit of nibble earlier on perhaps I think it’s a huge risk then to put all of that sort of pressure and and overs on someone one who’s completely

Untrusted it’ll be a huge gamble for me so I think that they’re just seeing if he can bowl see if they can as Mike was saying get you know perhaps seven eight 10 overs out of him but I still think they’ve got to go for for a mark wooder

Or an Olie Robinson and I’d be tempted to go for Ry Robinson I really would he’s been talking to the press a lot this week so that kind of sometimes suggest that they’re there for inclusion yeah that that’s usually a sure sign isn’t it when players are

Thrown to the media to have a conversation or two it’s an early indication I mean OE Robinson’s a skillful baller as we saw in the last test with Jimmy Anderson it wasn’t the pace it was the skill and the the accuracy of Jimmy that caused so many

Problems for this Indian batting I look I think the Indian players can obviously play and they’re good players but I just think whenever there’s a little bit of lateral movement I just think they’re so vulnerable to snicking off um getting lbw if you can get any kind of shape

Away from the right hand I always feel that the slips and the the keeper are in the game um you know you got to look at the Indians side that’re they’re lacking a verak Ki K Rahul maybe judia no shami you know you’re looking at four will rishab pan there’s five players there

That on a given week they can win India a test match on their own they’re all that good so England have got an incredible opportunity this next three or four weeks to um do something very very special winning in India I’ve just been speaking to Adam Gilchrist and they

Won in 2004 and and they were he was talking about John Buchanan doing a similar thing to Ben and baz he sent them away after I think the second test match to go and get away from uh the kind of hot bed of what Indian cricket

Brings uh and they won that Series so he was saying it’s probably up there with the most um kind of satisfying Series wins in in all his time that includes World cuts because winning in India it just doesn’t happen and England in the next four weeks they’ve got a great

Chance a great chance of doing something very very special because they’re playing half decent Cricket they’re playing a branded Cricket that’s not easy to play against if they can just Tinker that slightly and be a bit smarter with the bat at times and just bat a little bit longer and with a bit

More consistency I think they can put this Indian team under a huge amount of pressure because they are lacking a real core of will beaters in their team the Indian side yeah I mean we’re talking about the England seamers Boomer are arguably being the bowler of the of the

Of the series so far um what does that say about the the pitches and what been being prepared because the The Spinners aren’t the be all in the end all well no but I mean it bumra the way he bow in that second test match he almost took the pitch out of

Play didn’t he it was the reverse swing it was the skill it was the change of pace the lengths um you know he was looking at B those full reverse swing at the England batter so I don’t think it really matters so much for for Yas bit

Bomber what the pitch he’s doing um he’s he’s such I mean I think he’s G the number one in the world now and and and it proved so in that second test match he was absolutely world class so I don’t think they’re worried about the pitch too much I think they’re almost thinking

About how they can get some runs as Mike was saying they’ve lost that sort of it’s a it just feels like a fragile batting lineup jazell you know he’s only just come on the scene I know he’s in fantastic form and smashing it around at

The top of the order but I mean if he if he gets one early like any opening batter he can go same with roer shammer he looks a little bit out of neck doesn’t he so I think I think that India are thinking more along the lines of how

Can we just get a score and put some pressure on on England more than sort of like worrying about you know taking all the wickets I think I think it’s slightly turned just the way England have played these first test matches and they’re just starting to think a little

Bit out of the box now and that’s perhaps why they’re just leaving that little bit of grass on it because they’re concerned about getting a score yeah I mean I was mentioning uh Ben about England just just just playing a little bit smarter and I’ve kind of

Pinpointed Joe root and I did it in my column last I’ve done it again this week and the reason why I think Joe needs to change against spin now I’ve got a load of stats and geeky numbers um about Joe Root’s play against spin so root against spin the three years prior to

Basball that was uh from 2021 22 Series in the West in is right through to the 19 Summit he played 37 tests scored 1289 runs off 2,112 balls 16 dismissals at an average of 80.5 strike rate of 61 and he was dismissed every 132 balls against spin

In the basball era he’s had 20 test matches he scored 382 runs off spin of 467 balls he’s been dismissed 11 times he averag is 34.5 his strike rate has gone up from 61 to 81 but he gets dismissed every 42 balls so that’s 90 balls fewer from the

Previous three years when he was averaging 80 odd now I’m just saying for England to be really successful and to win things they didn’t win the ashes they didn’t win in New Zealand last year but they playing great cricket and it’s great to watch now that I’m saying to

Them if you want to win in the next three weeks and be a part of history and be a part of a special group that no one wins in India let’s be honest but this team can win I think Joe’s got to get back to the previous three years before

Basball yes be that rock in the and if he’s striking at 61 I think that’s pretty good yeah which he was in those three years so my mental arithmetic might be a little bit scratchy but that sounds like he is scoring twice twice as fast but lasting half as long roughly

Yeah well I think he’s he’s lasting a lot less than half you know he’s getting dismissed every 42 balls compared to 132 and he was averaging 8 odd with a strike rate of 61 whereas at the minute he’s averaging 34 with a strike rate of 81

Yeah yeah yeah so all right he’s scoring a bit quicker but he’s only averaging 34 now there’s a lot of numbers there Phil but in in in My Kind of Science and sense if the England management aren’t sitting down and realizing that they need to get Joe back to pre- basball

Three years and if they can get him back playing sensibly and just and by the way scoring quickly at 61 it’s not he’s not a snail if they can get him back being consistent against the spin England can get the big scores and I believe they

Can win but I think to win in the next four weeks Joe St Jo Joe root has to find some form It’s Tricky isn’t it because obviously England are they want to be a team it’s not about individuals uh and obviously there’s a sort of excitement

Around the squad so it sound it feels like Joe’s get got caught up in that is part of the sort of Team ethic but the really they want to separate him out and make him an individual within a team yeah I I I think absolutely I think

Fantastic stats by the way Mike I mean that’s blown my mind it’s blown my mind and I’m still just trying to take it all in at the moment but I think what I can sort of Sur a lot of numbers for this early in the morning oh a lot of

Numbers so Mike I Reon he just needs to B for a little bit longer not Place quite so many shots and get back to the way he plays is is that what all those stats mean but then also see what comes off what comes off the bat of that

Though Mike is time isn’t it it’s time and time in India you know it wears people down it creates Partnerships with other people and that’s what sort of like sometimes those stats don’t show I mean obviously the obvious ones that he’s getting out too much and too

Quickly and what have you but then that the knock on effect helps the all round team instead of him just going out there and looking to smash it around and get these quick scores B time wear the opposition down and create Partnerships with the other guys they can do the

Smashing around Joe root get back to being Joe Phil my my summarization of Joe I think with gra gu is England’s greatest ever player of Spin and I think he’s a classic car you know the Vintage classic car you just don’t do too much with it the rest of the players are like

No notice the like Ford Fiestas that have been pumped up you know that they’ve had a few Alloys put on know the dice down from the mirror big Bose system put in the car Joe needs to stay as a classic car and just play and just

Pur just Pur like Joe rot can and the rest of them you know fuel up pipe in and just go for it but he needs to be consistent and for just playing at that kind of steady rate I think we will see a slightly different Joe Ru in this test

Match and I think that he’s going to have the is going to have the pitch to do it and as as a spinner and someone who’s bowling at someone you don’t want someone just to get a quick 30 you love that because you’re getting a fresh

Bloke to bat at the worst thing is Partnerships long knocks wear you down that’s what you don’t what don’t give him a Sniff uh I’m Delight to say that we’re joined today by England and Yorkshire allrounder dom best Dom you’re uh you’re just back from inwe we understand uh seem like you were in the rickets and the runs as well uh did you have some fun down there yeah mate it was um it

Was an amazing time um I was actually with Steph Kirby uh who was the head coach of my franchise um so we had some good fun um we’re actually currently first on we’re on a bye week at the moment so it’s the last game of the

Summer now um so we’re hoping to sort of see out the results and hopefully win the Logan cup but it was an amazing time mate yeah really enjoyable and did you get to see some of the country we did um I saw I saw quite a bit of it actually

Which was um quite eye opening um some incredible incredible places went down to lights buo uh place called Matari just off mosan Beek and then we yeah ended up in vic Falls as well so that was amazing yeah you seem to be looking at your Instagram page you seemed to be

Having lots of fun yeah I was um yeah as tough as we’ll probably have a couple stories I reckon but um we yeah we went off to Vick fols jumped off a Gorge swing um I’m not sure the medical team yor should be too impressed with that

But I didn’t tell him until after it was posted good good for the back just to stretch you out a little bit gets all the cracks and bangs out doesn’t it was there any water coming over Vic fols because we went up there by some little

B plane we sort of flew up to Vick Falls and and it was the driest they hadn’t had any rain was there there was there was plenty actually um so what I understand it’s full it was um it’s like the rainy season now so it was pretty

Full the um thing and uh myself and Eddie Byron from Glamorgan we went up and um we got in there really early and it was absolutely stunning we pretty much had the place to ourself because I think it’s quite at the moment now it’s um all the tourists are gone so yeah we

Had the place to ourselves in the morning which was incredible hey um great to have you on the Pod um Harari the sports does it still have that Pub yes it does in the members bit yeah it does yeah what’s that what’s that called tough as You’ have spent a bit of time

In that Boozer fantastic is it I think it was just down at third man it yeah it’s down at F leg with third mans tough as you you would have a little look in there no doubt um it is certainly it’s still there it’s it’s going it was the first time at Sports

Club so it was an absolutely incredible um incredible ground really um shame I didn’t get to play there because the international the Zimbabwe International men’s and women’s were playing there so it was a nogo for us um the closest I did get though funny enough the president you know the president sweets

Next to it um they’ve got the they’ve each Corner they’ve got two soldiers on and I was yeah with big AK-47 and I was driving our overseas to drop him off and um yeah well let’s say I’m not supposed to do the uturn on the Main Street and I

Had these soldiers pop up from about 40 yards away with guns up um pointing down the car so wasn’t the most ideal situation that I’ve been in first five minutes and the Pakistani overseas to my left didn’t speak that much English looking at me and I was looking at him

With these two Lads in front of us with AKs up so that was that was another interesting story yeah if we had to we had to leave arari because if we if we hadn’t because there’s that road that brings you into it doesn’t it that’s where all the

Soldiers are and and and if you if you don’t if you’re seen on that road sort of like after seven o’clock or something you get you get pulled over and out the AKs yeah no that I think I can remember batting yeah it does I can remember

Batting the like on the third day and I was in batting and as I got out it was like right at the end of play I’ve come back into the dressing room all the boys were in the bus and they were all going quick quick quick get on the bus I ran

Onto the bsing with fulls and B otherwise we would have got stopped and we could we wouldn’t have been get through the so Phil was that the tour when you murdered them that was when we murdered them that was when we murdered him one that was bullo as well I was Fielding up

I was Fielding up fine leg and uh some bloke nipped over the fence and pulled the [Laughter] test I was I couldn’t believe it I was standing there with just me jockstrap on in the middle of a test match and he ni over the oh dear we should probably

Briefly discuss the cricket do yeah looking at your figures it looks like you’ve been playing really well in the wickets but also scoring runs for fun yeah it well like I said it was a pretty flat one out there so um no it was good it was a good opportunity actually um

CBS said to me you can um we’re going to chck you up the order and bat three and yeah and it’s been probably the best thing since um I think I averaged 49 um and and went pretty well so and like I said I I think as we’ve seen this um

This England team now and how they’re going about it I think yeah you’ve got to reinvent yourself and I I feel like I’m certainly doing that at the moment um yeah do you know what mate it’s been great fun and um I’ve just had the best two months um some amazing people over

There and it’s it’s just been real good fun you you mentioned it there Dom about you know the way this England team are playing is that filtering down obviously now to all the guys and are they looking at that and going right so is that changed all the mindset as well what’s

Been going on for the guys who are sort of bubbling under yeah for sure um it’s been a really interesting one the past couple years because I think you you see the way this team’s going about it and it comes back to the enjoyment of cricket and I’ve certainly been through

The past couple of years I’ve certainly sort of looked at um my situations and and obviously at Yorkshire and things like that and it comes back to enjoying the cricket and um that I think that’s a non-negotiable now I think teams are certainly certain County championship

Teams are trying to play like that um now obviously County Championship wickets um probably aren’t as good as test wickets so there is their challenges there um but even mate it’s funny even out in Zimbabwe um CBS was obvious coach we had Eddie Barum who’s obviously at Glamorgan myself um couple

Of lads couple of Zimbabwe Lads as well and um we played a team called the tuskers and they they started calling us basball because um we were going at five and over and I guess the emphasis of myself and Eddie out there we know how

We want to play our cricket now and I guess when you want to get close to that England team you you’ve got to do like you said you’ve got to do the things that they’re wanting to do as well so it’s been a great learning cover and

Mate not going to lie it’s it’s also quite good fun yeah and and Dom obviously you were on the tour to last time England were in India um and it was soon after that tour that you said you were you you started sort of almost hated playing cricket and the pressure

Of the bub so from the outside looking in what’s your take on how Brendan and Ben have taken the pressure off the boys yeah I I mean i’ I’ve spoken to a couple of lads um I’ve spoken to Zach I’m still quite close with Zach um obviously i’ spoken

To lii a little bit um and popy and things like that and and again from the outside it just looks like pressure’s taken off and they’re they’re enjoying it and um the one thing as well they’re not scared of losing and I remember sort of that was I guess my England career I

Was always sort of had one eye over my shoulder looking thinking you’re playing for your place you’re under pressure it was never that um I guess go out and express yourself and and B yourself um or it was to that extent you were always going to B yourself but there was that

Um you always had one eye being like Oh if you don’t go well here you never know whereas I certainly think nowadays these boys have whatever’s been said um by McCullum and Stokes it obviously looks like it’s working cuz it looks like they’re going out there just playing

They know they’re going to have their sport they know they’re going to have a chance and a run and I think you you’re seeing the massive benefits from this now yeah totally and have you had conversations with the England setup no no I haven’t I haven’t had some for a

While but again like it comes back to myself um and playing well for Yorkshire and impacting Yorkshire and I guess for the past two years we’ve seen um sort of the struggles I guess Yorkshire have had with off field but also um there’s a bigger picture there I think there’s a

Rebuild that has to go on at Yorkshire and um I’m trying to just get stuck in with that and and help out um and then obviously hopefully my form will come back and you never know but um for the time being i’ I’ve just like I said got

To concentrate on myself and I guess trying to reinvent myself a little bit which M I like take Zimbabwe I went to modman and played great Cricket in Australia last year and it was just again it experiences I’m like I said I am only still 26 so I like see I’ve got

A bit more time here Bessie can can I take you back to the last tour of India when when you were on that tour and obviously there was difficult times covid all that kind of stuff happening what are your Recollections of of your experiences when you were

There I yeah it’s not a happy one to be honest like remember we played Sri Lanka did really well and then we went to India won the first test um but like you said it was covid and I remember I remember I had five weeks in a in a hotel room

Um and I guess three other the weeks I didn’t get picked for the second third um test and we obviously won the first one and I I remember being sort of working trying to work it out in my head in my hotel room where we didn’t

Didn’t go and you you guys would know obviously playing India is one of the toughest places and then you had Co on top of that and you had an 8we tour um if I’m going to be honest it wasn’t the most enjoyable at all and I I actually

Really struggled after that um but one thing I do remember is one of my proudest wins was the first one in Chennai uh obviously routy got a double um you’ll still see the clips now Jimmy bowling the reverse swingers um taking I think rahan in shman gills Hobs out um

So there was that first test which was incredible but one thing I will say is it’s yeah the toughest tour I’ve been on BET because just so you’re playing that first test you win you do okay yourself what was the explanation for you saying oh by the way in the second test which

Is on the same venue you’re not going to play it was um yeah it was I’m going to rest and um yeah I to be honest mate it it completely caught me off surprise I remember I think we were playing we were playing a game Meet myself Matt Parkson

Crawley um LW a couple of lads and I remember going in thinking oh chat and it’s sort completely blindsided me and I remember sort of yeah not I it was it was bizarre in my opinion but I remember obviously Mo was there and mo hadn’t played and they they were talking about

A rotation side um they said you’ll sort of come back but um I only came back for the fourth test which was three weeks later my brains are gone by then um and like you said there was my last test match and yeah you overthink it and

Everything like that and um it was an interesting one but again part of the journey I guess several spinners out there this time um but a couple of the boys unable to play Jack who as you as you say you played with at Somerset how would uh what would you how would you

Manage decide for the the coming game who would you play man I’ve really enjoyed watching um Tom Harley I think he’s been quality um and again it’s obviously been quite a brave um Choice by the the team but I think he’s he’s just sort of taken it in his stride um I

Know he’s obviously a quality white ball spinner um but he’s and and and I guess you can see the character in himself that he gets sort of whacked and I guess it shows the character of the team and the way they’re going about it because he gets whacked sort of first Innings

And he’s under the pump big time and then to come back and bowl like he did um again and tough as we know like you’re always expected to Bowl teams out in fourth Innings and he would have been in a county Championship where it probably doesn’t really spin it’s

Probably been his first real experience of that sort of pressure and then doing it and yeah I thought he did really well I thought obviously I see more as an impact bowler um again he’s what he’s any 18 or something and I I actually think he’s my personal

Opinion on him I think he’s a really talented batter um who’s obviously obviously can spin the ball and I think his trajectory is quite low I think he’s always going to beat people certainly out in India you never really know where it’s bouncing and then um I I played

With bash when I went on loan back to Somerset and he is an absolute he’s a great lad first of all um he’s a massive lad he’s got massive fingers which obviously helps and he comes from quite a different angle I guess it doesn’t really go up it always goes down

Um yeah so I I think the combination is is again it’s young um yeah but I think you you throw in I guess the naivity with this um stoky team and the way they’re going I it’s obviously showing that it’s worked at some point and then

I think it’s just pulling the string so I I I know I’ve see Woody go back in I quite like that um and then obviously you got Jimmy to to just go at what ones or whatever what he does at 43 and just sort of hit people on The Shins and yeah

And sort of guess take control of the main bowling attack Bessie you’ve just said some about sh bashier that he goes down is that because of his height or is that the kind of modern way that Spinners are now taught because of white ball Cricket I mean if you go up in

Whiteb cricket you’re pretty much fetching it from a street five five streets down the road at taon is that kind of the modern way of spinning down or is it just the way that I I think it comes back to his strengths and he’s he’s quite tall he’s

A tall lad so I actually think he doesn’t need to really go up um and and you can speak to GS about this Jet and I remember he always used to bang on to me talk about say bowling it over a washing line it’s it’s got to be the last third

Is your if you’re bowling that way your last third is the most important I think as soon as it goes up now boys are that good but also boys bats they get half of it and you you see it on T20 now it gets half of it goes out the ground and

You’re thinking like how’s that so I think with bash it’s it’s a little bit of a combination I reckon um I think for me I’m a SL slightly smaller guy so I think there’s still You’ still got to go not up but you’ve still got to have a

Trajectory where it’s going to drop and I think that comes back to Revolutions on the ball I think naturally he’s actually quite lucky that he’s probably a little bit taller he doesn’t have to go up um I I someone that I would um sort of he resembles is a little bit

Matt Carter from knots he’s a massive lad as well and he doesn’t have to go up because he’s so bloody tall he just drops it on he’s got Mass Wheels I think he’s size 14 ah he he’s a big lad yeah he’s he’s a big lad he’s yeah and he’s

He’s someone that’s very similar like and you look at him in white Bo he actually does pretty well in white B because people probably can’t get to him um but I is Again Naturally um I guess he’s got he’s got massive fingers which also helps so he can get revs on it and

He doesn’t really have to worry about then going up um but I think it’s a combination for If he if he has if he has and Dom as well if he if he then does go up he almost then has to just Bowl slowly it very very difficult for him to actually

Then as you say toss the ball up with any kind of oomph in it so so you’re right do he just has that nice little trajectory and that nice little drop in the last third to then when when you sometimes are that tall it is very difficult to get a

Little bit of flight and G which hopefully isn’t going out of the game because there is still room for it I reckon but um you know when when you’re that tall you’ve almost just got to go sort of like put it there to go up a little bit instead of actually get

Something on it I’ll ask you both as ex you know ex spinny yourself philler and obviously Dom Pres um the most important skill for a spinner is the captain and no one ever reads into the fact that you can bow your best if you’ve not got a captain that knows you

And knows how to set fields for you you’ve got no chance of having success and and for me watching Ben he just seems to be probably the best Captain I’ve seen in terms of managing Spinners he’s just got that nuance and KN how how to manage the person but also knowing

When to put the pressure on when to give the particular in the the last kind of few games he’s realized that you can’t just have all the fielders in all the time and you know you’ve got to give yourself a bit of protection he’s a wonderful Captain against the spinner

Yeah he and he’s learned you’re right from that from that first test match you’ve got to be able to learn especially in India you know went off R attacking didn’t he he’d probably look back and think to themselves like that but then put that into practice straight

Away so not he’s not scared to then sort of go might have got that wrong thinks about it obviously a lot as well but I think that’s where um being an allrounder helps for him because he can see it from both sides he sees it from a bowler’s angle you know a Fielder’s

Angle a captain’s angle a batter’s angle so he’s always working with the spin bowler I must admit early on in my career I I couldn’t un it takes a lot of time for a spinner to get that it really really does you know what I mean the first five years

You’re just looking I was very lucky I had Mike gatting John emby on Miss side who looked at the way batters play looked at the way batters thought about playing let’s say Spinners and left arm Spinners and it does an half help and it gives you a lot of confidence to just go

Out there and bowl and then as you sort of get on in your career you then start going well hold on a minute thanks SK but I’ve got me own sort of plans so for those young Spinners over in India he’s sort of taken that side I think of that

Sort of skill of the game from being a more mature EXP experienced Bim bowler out of their equation just go up and bowl and almost leave the rest of me in a din Feld yeah and I I agree I agree with that I think also I think you look

At bash’s first sorry to go back to someone like bash you look at bash’s first Wicket and you talk about his fighting go because he’s quite tall he can drive it into middle stump and he gets Sharma caught a leg slip and like you said because Stokes will know the

Difference it’s like Lion’s very good at that Lion’s a little bit different he does go he’s you talk about up and down he’s absolute epitomy of that but bash again goes quite flat at him and get him caught there and like you said if you don’t have your captains um that are

Brave enough to have you captures and then again I think you you have that management that that doesn’t happen and you get him early on my God you get the captain of India early on in your test career it’ll be floating it’ be on Red

Bull like stoky all the time and it’ be floating like like nothing else but yeah I I completely agree with that and I think I think that’s the great combination my personal experience when I first started in first Cricket I had Chris Rogers now he was he was I I

Couldn’t I couldn’t have thought of a better Captain because he was quite a iggly player and we’re obviously playing down at Somerset again he would just do my fields for me and I and I wouldn’t have to worry about it um and I think that is so important and as you as you

Obviously play more and you learn and come up against guys then you sort taking real responsibility but I think you’ve got have that help for sure is that something as a bowler you’ve had to work on as you’ve gone through your career is sort of developing the relationship with the captain because

Obviously it’s a relationship it’s a two-way thing yeah 100% And I’ve had quite a few now I think obviously um I I was very fortunate to have Steve pson um at Yorkshire um he used to one of the greatest men ever I AB I’ve got so much

Time for Steve and he um he was so good to me as well cuz he always used to get me in the game really early and sort of when I first went up to Yorkshire again quite a tough Place well is very tough place to ball spin um he made sure that

And he gave me the confidence um so I’ve had him and like said it down I think ruy was always I I always thought ruy was good but I think you also look at um a great example is lii take lii um he’ll have his stats or whatever um with stoky

And without stoky um but I think you can see the added confidence that stokes’s probably given lii in terms of being being right you’re going to be the main man um he obviously came off a tough Ash’s tour and then he went to West Indies um and then since then it’s like

I said he’s he’s obviously had his injury struggles but he’s he’s bowled beautifully and you look at his stats and he’s going to be sort of up there now with the English Spinners and um and I think there’s a real reg um sort of he’s he’s had to reinvent himself

Again a little bit like that side and I think lei’s sort of seen the real benefits and and I think he was the start of it um I I for me personally as a spinner I almost want to try and get back into that England team because I I

Think again as well I’d have a belief that it’s it’s it’d be an absolute dream B just I mean getting back into the is is one of your goals this summer at Yorkshire to try and bat higher up to give yourself that you’ve always been an

Allrounder but if you can backat in that top five and get hundreds In First Class trigger and obviously get your wickets as well you’re going to push yourself forward that that even bit quicker yeah and and again bnie I think it comes back to as well I want to re I’ve spoken

About Reinventing myself um with the ball as well um but for sure I think it’s batting um because again you you look at the likes you go to India and you need batting there it doesn’t matter it’s I I feel like the days have gone a little bit with you have three Bowlers

Or four Bowlers like everyone’s sort of got a B um and I I agree I I think that is that is one of my goals but like you said I think it’s hundreds hundreds count big hundreds um and that’s where I want to go about it and yeah ultimately

That’s what I want to do and I guess then it’s just is that process of building that up but like I said you my my my main dream is still to play for England that’s uh you also you see all these white ball cricket and you see the

Franchises um which like I said I think it’s part and parcel now I think you you do really well in this England team because the way they play it sort of filters and if that side do really well in whiteb cricket I think think it filters back as well it’s got its

Currency now but my dream is always to play test Cricket for England it’s always been a dream we can carry on talking all day but we’ve got a segment I don’t know if you’ve heard on the podcast before where Phil does some either or questions oh

Yes you got okay you’ve got to give us one of the two answers oh yes okay right here we go Bessie right uh you took six for 21 on your Championship debut including two big warshire wickets in successive balls uh which one did you enjoy more more Ian Bell or Jonathan

Trot I think it would have to be Jonathan Trot because at least it got the ball going didn’t it my first one yeah lovely good stuff CP the good polls there mate couple of good ones there um you mentioned it earlier which was scarier doing the Gorge swing in zimbar

Or batting at three or doing or batting at three for the rocks oh I’d have to say gorge swing mate honestly I feel like I’m in my second life the three seconds that I had I tell you what V if you ever get a go I need to you need to

Video it it is the three seconds I thought I was gone I was goners yeah there’s some language in that video on Instagram have your parents uh pulled you up for that mate my mom I sent it to my mom I sent my dad the unfiltered one I said the mom

Filtered one cuz I know she would have she would not and I I hope to I hate to think my grandma seen it cuz she would kill me that is for sure as a spin bowler Taunton or headingly Taunton has to be I say taunting has to be taunting

When it was spinning because if it is flat my God there’s no point no and then the last one now we we we know you we know you’re a bit of a sort of a a bit of a style Guru with the bar you like you like chopping

And changeing dar it don’t you which one do you prefer platinum blonde or your crew cut a platinum i i a flat them I’ve had to it was yeah it was it was a bit Rogue brilliant Tom we’ll let you get back to your holiday you’ve been a superb guest

We love talking to you thank you so much no jents anytime all the best we’re now joined by our man in India the telegraph’s chief Cricket correspondent Nick Hol you’re at the ground nick uh what’s the the the question we’re always asking what’s the pitch look like it’s

Actually got a sprinkl of green grass but not necessarily for the seamers I think just hold it together it looks like a belting batting pitch to be honest very flat here uh traditionally for test Bates of bie trophy games played here so England uh expecting a lot of runs they’ve picked two seers

Have announced the team so uh Mark Woods uh in for show with bashier uh Ryan Ryan arm has come through so he can he’s been cleared to play um which is only discovered first thing this morning so yeah the pitch looks flat and lots of runs and a very green and Lush Outfield

Too okay fantastic uh and it’s um it’ll be stokes’s hundredth cap do we know you’ll give him his ceremonial cap we hearing Paul Collingwood will’ll do something we’ll give him his cap and do a little speech in the Huddle uh I hope he’s a bit more up for it than was last

Night when he spoke to us we asked him how’ you feel about playing 100 test he said it’s just a number so uh yeah not much he’s not very Sentimental Man so um so I’m sure I’m sure with Connie he’ll feel a bit more feel a bit more special about it and we

May have another one in a couple of weeks time because Johnny Johnny’s on 98 I think after this game so could be another one um how how are the boys looking after their rest and relaxation they week off are they looking fit and rare in a go and full of beans I thought

Stokes looked even fitter than he did before he left for the UAE I don’t know um they they possible I know you just um they didn’t do any training there they didn’t even take the cricket bags um so uh they had a quite a long session yesterday short session today which is

Generally the way is on the day before test match um and yeah it’s going to be interesting to see if where momentum lies if there is such a thing as that because we’ve had both teams have had a break India seems to be going through a lot of selection issues that could make

Four changes for this game seems that England are far more settled than than India well a couple of things there I mean on stoky looking fit he’s obviously been doing some bowling uh in the leadup to this uh any sense of whether he might

Bowl in the match or is he just going to sort of take it as he goes yeah he had a longer Bowl yesterday uh he said that he’s around about 70% but he’s sticking to his um plan of not bowling in this series he said it’s been very hard not

To be tempted to bowl but I think he’s realizing there’s a bigger picture and no he won’t Bowl in this match definitely not I mean if he was gonna bow Dar at back end of the series but I don’t think he’s gonna do that more yeah

Uh and then you mentioned the the sort of uh the India team and how they’re having to go through a few players do we know what their lineup is yet have they announced what’s the suspicion no uh Ro sha R does press conferences even before the start

Game uh which is supposed to be an ICC R but anyway uh they ravage at AIA did the Press today this is his home ground um uh and obviously he’s had an injury and um he was asking to play tomorrow he said hopefully otherwise he won’t be

Here so uh he’s going to come back there is some to he could play as a batsman rather than just as a as as a as a spinner as well because of this hamstring problem that he’s got K rahul’s not playing he’s been rolled out um there’s thought that they’ll drop

Barrett the keeper um after the two shots he played in vizag um sir probably come back in uh to partner bmra and we could have ped played his first test in vizag and safas Khan making his debut in the middle order so there’s there’s a lot of uh

There’s they don’t strike me as a settled or happy team really and um bumra there were some rumors that bumer was going to be rested uh for this game uh but it sounds like uh he’s playing and um the talk is he’s not too happy about that so we take it out on

England is there a feeling amongst sort of like the Indian press and what have you that um they are a team that could be there for the taking a little bit and is that sort of adding more pressure yeah I think that’s true uh definitely I think there I think there’s a

Recognition there are just a team in transition um and Young batsman to try and establish themselves in the team uh and they play a lot of cricket you they played South Africa just before this series had the World Cup they look tired to be honest um and yeah I think there

Is a feeling that they they could be there for the taking um Indian cricket a lot of the focus is on Milestones so there’s a lot of excitement about uh Ashwin potentially taking his 500th Wicket in this test um so most of the questions so far really sort of

Surrounding surrounding that aspect um but yeah they’re definitely they’ve had so many injury problems they made so many changes that I think the feeling is up that this could be when they lose their or potentially could lose their winning streak at home and also there’s been some talk in the Press actually

About the pitches because they used to having absolute raging Turners and for this series they’ve been slow Turners and that again I think is being seen as a good thing for in the longer term that it’s going to help their batsman who you look at their records in recent years

Have not been that good and they’ve struggled on these pitches as much as the overseas teams have but the difference is they’ve had better Spinners to win the games for them thanks Nick we’ll uh we’ll check in with you after the third test next week thank

You we mentioned it just there but Ben Stokes will be playing his 100th test um in this in this game um about 16 players have reached that Landmark so it’s it’s not like a a huge Landmark but he’s been a huge character for England cricket

Hasn’t he Mike oh I mean I think it is a huge Landmark to play 100 test matches for your country in test match cricket particularly in this era because there’s so many other um kind of options that you could go down and particular someone like Ben St because easily have choosen

The franchise leagues two or three years ago but um I I think I could make a very good case that Ben Stokes is England’s greatest cricketer I honestly think he’s that good in terms of what he’s delivered you look at what he’s done with the batting hand you look at

Winning the World Cup in 19 winning the T20 World Cup uh in in Australia so he’s won two World Cups with the England side um and he’s now captaining in a way that let’s be honest it’s never been done before in test match cricket the way that he’s

Captaining um and the way that he’s got this team of players um right behind him and you look at the side in India what happens in the next three or four weeks and I do think this is England’s really good opportunity of winning uh in India he’s galvanized a young set of Bowlers

Young Spinners with no experience in the hardest place you would say to gone balll spin against Indian players that are so good at playing spin and so far in the two test matches he’s uh he’s been a a revelation as a captain and in 20 test matches as Captain um if you add

Into the captaincy the batting the all round perhap his Fielding his character everything that he brings and I’m sure there’ll be many other players that you could argue is England’s greatest cricketer and both them obviously is is the one that Springs to mind but I think

I could put a really good debate and uh argument Ben being England’s greatest cricketer it’s interesting isn’t it because Cricket is obviously such a such a game of statistics and his statistics are good but they’re not sort of standout but he’s he’s he’s about the moments isn’t it delivering in those

Clutch moments and then as you say as a captaincy the man management which you don’t sort of get statistics for um but that’s what he’s about yeah 100 test matches is a lot of test matches for anyone to play it shows you it shows that you’re in the elite of um

Of England test cricketers you said that there’s I know 13 or 14 who have done it You’ got to be pretty damn tasty to play 100 test matches uh Stam stamina as you say um desire and it for me his desire is is going more and more and more and

Up and up and up I think England we we keep going on about they haven’t won anything yet I think that if England win in India I think that the world’s their oyster for quite some time I think that they’re going to go on some sort of run

That they can go here they can go there and the confidence that that will bring if they can just get over the line against India is going to be phenomenal I think they’re going to turn into some side that a Everyone likes to watch but B everyone is really fearful of playing

And that does an half go a long way when you when you go away when you have home serieses as well you know if they don’t they’re still on that sort of like upward journey and on that path but I think if they can get over the line against

India you know it’s going to be something to be reckoned with this England side and they’re going to go on some sort of like World beating run I Reon I’m with you right that’s all for today thank you Mike thank you Phil and massive thanks to Don Bess and Nick Holt

For joining us too the three of us are back next week with all the reaction to the third test there’s also plenty of great coverage over on the telegraph website for you in the meantime and if you’ve missed any pre previous episodes they’re all available on the V and

Tougher Cricket Club feed and just quickly before I go make sure to check out the telegraph Cricket newsletter keeps you up to date with all the latest cricket stories as well as featuring top interviews sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox every Wednesday at telegraph.co.uk crickety nerd until next week Goodbye