India v England: Brendon McCullum says tourists will ‘go hard’ for rest of series, wary of Jasprit Bumrah

Brendon McCullum says England will “drop the shoulder and go hard” at India when their Test series resumes – but concedes they must find a way to “counter” Jasprit Bumrah.

With the third Test not starting until February 15, England are heading to Abu Dhabi for a break with their families.

“We have had plenty of training days, two Tests, and this is an opportunity to step away from the heat of the battle. I was talking to Rahul Dravid [India’s head coach] and he said all his boys are shooting home as well.

“Home for us is a little way away so we chose Abu Dhabi and we are going to enjoy the families [joining us]. Then when we get to Rajkot, we drop the shoulder and go hard.

“We sit 1-1 which is a fair reflection that we’re in the contest. We’ve played some really good cricket over the last two Test matches. Yes, we have come out on the wrong side of it here, but we got it across the line in the first one.

“The conviction about how we go about it is as strong as it ever has been. We have done some really good things over the last couple of weeks.”

England came up short in the second Test as India won by 106 runs.

Bumrah took nine wickets in the match and is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far with 15.

Asked about how to plan for Bumrah, McCullum said: “We don’t really do theories. It is about making sure the guys are totally clear and present, confident and have conviction in their method.

“They are a lot better than I ever was and they will work it out how best to go about it.

“There are contrasting ways of going about it, and I have always said it is important to bounce off whoever you are batting with and the contrasting skills you possess. We will see where we get to.

“For now, we have to tip our cap to Jasprit and say that spell [in the first innings of the second Test] was as good as anything we have seen so far on this trip.

“It’s all condition-dependent. When the ball is swinging like that he becomes even more of a threat. He is a fantastic bowler in all forms of the game. He is unique with his release points and with how much swing he can generate in the air.

“No doubt he is very good, but we have come up against very good bowlers all through the last 18 months or so and found ways to counter them and that is what we have got to do in this one.”

While Bumrah has shone for India, Joe Root has struggled to deliver for England.

He has scored just 52 runs across his four innings and most recently was .

But despite his struggles in the series so far, Root retains the backing of McCullum.

“He’s a world-class player and as good as any player England has ever seen,” he said.

“His method [in the final innings of the second Test], whilst people will look to the dismissal, look at the method of his option and he was trying to get the field back so he could milk them.

“It is the bravery you have to take at times, and sometimes you get out doing it, but that’s just the way the game rolls. There is no doubt from our point of view in that approach.

“There are three Tests left, still an opportunity to score a whole s***-ton of runs.”

McCullum also praised England’s inexperienced spinners Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed for their performances in the series.

“There are heaps of positives. Our spin bowling unit, albeit young and raw, have shown they’ve got what it takes.

“The one thing I guess you don’t know about in the heat of battle is the character the guys possess.

“The development of the young spinners has been fantastic. Not just their skill-set but their passion to want the big moments.

“I am absolutely delighted in how they have performed with very little experience under their belt. You look around and you just see guys who look like they belong at international level.

“I put it down to the skipper. He has total conviction in his methods and is incredibly empathetic towards people.

“He spends time with them to ensure his messaging is really consistent, in his body language and behaviours.

“He backs up what he says to them off the field with opportunities on the field. He is desperate to lead this team and he wants to take this team to whatever level he can take it.

“We looked at India’s makeup – [Ravichandran] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja and Axar Patel – and the points of difference that normal spinners do not possess [in terms of release points and bowling speeds].

“We tried to replicate that as best we could. So far so good. We will see where it lands [in the rest of the series] but it is encouraging to see.”

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