In his skysports.com blog, Ryan Sidebottom insists spirits are still high in the England squad.
In his latest skysports.com blog, Ryan Sidebottom insists spirits are high among the England squad
It's been the Yuvraj Singh show at the moment. He's played extremely well and although a slow starter, has hit through the line once he's got in and is extremely difficult to bowl at, at the death.
That said I honestly believe England are getting there but we've not played as well as we can and credit to India - they are playing very good cricket.
For the rest of the series, I think you'll see us being more aggressive at the top end of the order. We've kept wickets in hand, but the run rate required has been increasing and made it extremely tough for the guys coming in later on.
I think you'll find us hitting through the line earlier in the innings like the Indian batsmen do - its all part of us getting used to the conditions out here.
The next game in Kanpur is massive. If we can win, we will just be two-one down with some of the momentum back. We'll be going all out to turn this around and will be looking to be more aggressive with bat and ball to put the Indian's under pressure. It's not about yelling at them, but showing real intent in everything we do, as we did in Sri Lanka. We have to get them out of their comfort zone.
The pitch in Kanpur looks pretty typical for the sub-continent, although it is a tad dry. Off-spinner Graeme Swann is likely to play and this would give us a good attacking option - especially against their left-handers.
On a personal note, I've felt great fitness wise, so my latest setback has been frustrating to say the least! I'd been training without a problem and to prove my fitness, it was time to run in full pelt with the ball. I did this and then hurt my side. It's nothing major and I'm hoping to be back bowling in a couple of day's time, but I am frustrated.
Positive
I'd been injury free before getting back into the England side and remained fit for the first 18 months on the international circuit. Since last summer, there has been one thing and another. These things are sent to try us I guess!
I'm just staying positive, doing whatever I can and will hopefully be up for selection in a few days time.
We've done plenty of travelling in the last week - flying from Rajkot to Indore to Kanpur. It's all gone really smoothly and we are a fit team, so have recovered absolutely fine. I have to commend India on looking after us so well - they love their cricket and are doing everything they can to make our stay comfortable.
The spirit in the camp is really good and we've Swanny, Jimmy Anderson and massage therapist Mark Saxby entertaining us with 'The Weekly Rub'. This is where all the guys get together and have the Mickey taken out of them for being look-alikes - such as myself and Roger Daltrey, or Stuart Broad and supermodel Heidi Klum! Swanny also reads us some poetry. It's definitely entertaining and great for team spirit.
We all know how crucial it is for us to win in Kapur and are fully focused on achieving that goal. Fingers crossed, next week I'll be writing about an England win - and a fit Ryan Sidebottom.
Until next time, take care. Ryan.
