Harry Brook blames 'smog' for his struggles against Varun Chakaravarthy in Kolkata

England’s dynamic middle-order batter Harry Brook admits he is yet to prove himself against spinners in Asian conditions. Like most English batters, Brook looked completely clueless against Varun Chakravarthy in the first T20I in Kolkata. 

Brook averages 52.33 and strikes at 165.26 against pace, but those numbers drop to 16.87 and 118.78, respectively, against spin. And 40 T20Is is a very decent sample size. Brook scored 17 off 14 and never looked comfortable against Chakravarthy, eventually getting his stumps rattled by the spinner. Brook also said that it was difficult for him to pick Chakravarthy in Kolkata because of the smog.

“Chakravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler. But with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick. Hopefully, the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier,” said England vice-captain Brook ahead of the second T20I in Chennai.

“Facing spin in T20 cricket is probably the hardest thing in the game, especially because I always get out trying to absolutely smack it. Maybe I’ve got to rein in a little bit, but we’ll see.

“I think I do have a method. It’s just trying to do it consistently and more often. I come in in the middle order, so the first few balls I face are usually off-spin. If I get out early, it’s usually against a spinner, so maybe my stats aren’t as good against spin, but there’s always going to be criticism in some parts.”

England are now trailing 0-1 in the five-match series, but Brook doesn’t want to back down and wants to find a way to put Indian bowlers under pressure in the remaining games. "We're pretty chilled. India is a very good side, so we knew what they were gonna hit us with, and yeah, they played an exceptional game.

"We just need to keep pushing, the same messaging Baz [Brendon McCullum] has been saying throughout. We need to look to put pressure on their bowlers and try to take wickets throughout their innings. You've always got a go a little bit above and beyond to exceed.

“It was not an ideal start. But it was just one game. It would be [his aim] is to contribute to wins. The only thing I really think about is trying to be a match-winner and if I win one or two games out of this series here, I'll be very happy with it.”

England captain Jos Buttler was the only English batter who managed to counter Indian bowlers in the opening T20I. The right-hander slammed 68 off 44 deliveries in a match where no other England batter scored more than 17 runs.

"Yeah, he [Buttler] is obviously very experienced in India. He's done exceptionally well in the IPL and whenever he's played for England here. So, it's really nice to watch him go out there and go about his business. It was a pleasure to watch him from the other end for a little bit,” said Brook.