Cricket - Shoaib Akhtar's advice to Indian pacers for England series: 'Remember to hit the deck with a lot of aggression'

Pakistan's former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has offered a piece of advice to all pacers of India for the upcoming Test series against England. Virat Kohli-led team India will lock horns with England in a five-match series that will kick-off with the first match scheduled to begin on August 4 in Nottingham.

The Pakistani speedster said that the aggression of the fast bowlers lies in their lengths. He further highlighted his success was not due to bouncers, but hitting the right areas. Akhtar also suggested that the Indian pacers must keep variation in their bowling. 

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After losing the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) against New Zealand, India will look to winning ways and clinch their first Test series in England since 2007. With the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, India boasts of one of the best pace attacks in the current scenario, however, as also mentioned by Akhtar, England pacers like Jofra Archer and James Anderson will have home advantage. 

In his Youtube channel, Akhtar said, "The aggression of the fast bowlers is in their length. People think that I was aggressive because of bowling bouncers, but no. I was aggressive because I was constantly hitting the right areas, and with the pace, with the variation in pace. So, whoever goes in from the Indian side, just remember to hit the deck with a lot of aggression and a lot of pace. And keep doing this variation throughout, which is the most important thing."

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He further added, "Once you find your aggression in length, then don’t let that go. Make sure you have your match on within your brain, not with the batsmen. It is my skill that is going to outsmart you out there. This is the mindset that you should have. It’s not about people who are holding the bad days or enemies of yours, no, it is your skill which is your best enemy, who is not letting you or allowing you to display that talent. In order to display that talent, you have to go through the pain barrier."