This is going to be a battle of two mindsets, ex-cricketer on India vs England

The fifth Test of the five-match series between India and England, postponed to the covid-19 scare last year, is set to be played on 1st July in Birmingham. 

This match, which is expected to lay the foundation of a cracking tour, will witness both these sides locking horns with each other for the very first time under their newly recruited think tanks.

The former Indian selector Saba Karim believes this match will be more than just an on-field contest between these two teams. Addressing India news, Karim opined that this Test match would be a battle between two contrasting mindsets or ideologies that will decide the appropriate way of playing Test cricket in the future. 

"I feel this match will decide how you should play Test cricket going forward. It is not only going to be a Test match between India and England, but it is going to be a battle between two mindsets," Karim said. 

Elaborating on his point, Karim differentiated between the thought processes of the Indian and English think tanks. Then, he explained how those would influence the attitude and performance of both these teams during the game. 

As the former Indian keeper-batter put it, the England team would most likely adopt an unconventional and counterattacking approach during critical situations because their head coach Brendon McCullum considers colliding head-on with the danger as the best way of dealing with it. 

"If you see the England team on one side, they have made it clear that they are not going to take a step back," Karim said. "Brendon McCullum has said it loudly that if there is danger in front of you, then you should take it head-on. You don't have to run away from it," he added. 

On the other hand, Karim predicted a balanced and orthodox approach from the Indian team under the guidance of the head coach Rahul Dravid and the captain Rohit Sharma. 

Karim, who represented India in 35 international matches, expected the men in blue to play their game more watchfully than their counterparts. 

"On the other hand, the Indian team, if we see the combination of Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid, it seems they will go to the ground with a balanced approach. They will be watchful and make a controlled attack," the 54-year-old concluded.