India vs England: 'Root Should Bat Like Cook, Stokes and Buttler Should do a Pietersen' - Andy Flower

Former Zimbabwe cricketer and coach of England when they won 2-1 in India in 2012, Andy Flower believes England will find the upcoming series much tougher than it was eight years back. Flower explained that India will be on a high after their epic series win in Australia, which will hurt England's chances.

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"It’s one thing going to Australia and trying to win but a four-match series in India is challenging in a very different way and I think it’s going to be tougher for England now than it was for us. India will be more confident after that win in Australia and they’re also a more confident nation now about their standing in world cricket," Flower told Daily Mail.

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Flower said England's chances will depend on captain Joe Root, urging him to bat the way Alastair Cook did in 2012. Cook had made 562 runs in the series, while Kevin Pietersen made 338.

"Joe should be the rock around which we can build big innings, like Cook was in our team. He’s our most skillful player of spin and can combine a really nice, soft defence with the alternating of strike and occasionally jumping out of his bubble and scoring boundaries," said Flower.

"Then we need guys like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes to come to the party with a more pro-active game, a bit like Kevin Pietersen did in 2012. Where Root might be playing at a certain tempo, those guys can up it and really put pressure on the opposition spinners."

Root is coming off a Man of the Series performance in Sri Lanka where he helped England sweep 2-0. Flower recalled how Root made his debut in Nagpur in 2012, and said he always saw a captain's material in Root.

"No one knew how he would respond to the pressure but if I’d been putting a couple of quid on it, I’d have bet on him doing outstandingly well in international cricket," he said.

"Graham Thorpe, who really pushed for him to go on that tour, was very bullish about his prospects and straight away I could see he had a very good method against spin, picked length well and had a good defence.

"I did think I saw a guy back then who could go on to lead —absolutely. I thought Joe had a nice blend of perspective, knowledge and understanding of the game.

"He also had a popularity among the players. Even as a young guy who liked messing around a little he had the respect of people around him. He clearly had qualities that could make him a future captain."

England's four-Test series in India begins with the first Test in Chennai on February 5.

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