October 05, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 05, 1429

LONDON, Oct 4: Former Test opener Geoffrey Boycott has favoured the touring England side to India to win the series, saying the famed Indian batting is now toothless with their five great players past their peak.

Boycott said the Indian team is now in the state of flux and can be easily beaten if the England bowlers go hard at them.

“A tour of India is traditionally considered one of the toughest assignments in the global calendar. Yet, I believe it would be a mistake for England to go out there next month with the aim of scrapping their way to a draw. This Indian team are in flux. They can be beaten if you go hard at them. And this is as good a time as any to try,” Boycott wrote in his column for The Telegraph.

“India’s new chairman of selectors, Kris Srikkanth, faces a huge quandary. The great Indian batsmen are long in the tooth and approaching the end of their careers.

“Some of them are desperate to prolong their international lifespans, not just because they love the game but probably because of the endorsement deals available. But none of them are the force they once were.”

Boycott wrote that India’s 1-2 Test loss to Sri Lanka shows that the strong batting has lost its sheen. “Think of that period in the early part of this decade when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Saurav Ganguly reached their peak together. Shane Warne went to India three times and averaged over 40. They just batted him out of the game,” Boycott wrote. “Which is very different to what we saw this summer when spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, got on top of the Indian batsmen. That series, which Sri Lanka won 2-1, will have had a major effect on their confidence.”

Boycott prophesised England bowlers with their pace will rattle the Indians. “The pace of Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison will be England’s biggest weapon, because the senior batsmen should all be vulnerable early on to quality fast bowling.”—Agencies