Nick Knight believes ‘playing against India’ is like playing against a whole nation

Indian Cricket undoubtedly has a huge fan base, spread across different continents. No matter as to where the match is being played, India will always have a majority of the crowd in their favour. After all, India is a country of almost 1.4 billion Individuals.

Former English opener Nick Knight has reflected on what it feels like coming up against India. The 52-year-old batter has been involved in several battles with India and knows a thing or two about the iconic rivalry. 

“Playing against India, you felt you were not just playing against eleven players; you were playing against a nation. The support put a little bit of pressure on you as a player, and you realise how iconic these games and these series were,” said Nick Knight in the Sony-based Documentary series, Architects in White – India Cricket in England.  

The aforementioned documentary series captures some of India’s memorable Test wins in England. The show features several former cricketers such as Sunil Gavaskar, David Gower, and Nick Knight, to name a few. 

Indian great Sunil Gavaskar also shared his piece of mind. He reflected on the England versus India rivalry and explained the significance of beating England on their home soil. 

“For a long time in cricketing history, England v India was a bigger rivalry than any other. We all wanted to beat England in England – that was the main thing,” said Gavaskar.

India are all set to tour England once again for a multi-format bilateral series. Before they move onto the limited overs format, the two sides lock horns against each other in the ‘postponed’ fifth and final Test in early July. 

The final Test was postponed from 2021, owing to a covid outbreak in the Indian camp. The visitors are currently leading the series by a score-line of 2-1 and will look to register their first Test series victory on English soil since 2007.