England will need James Anderson’s experience in India: Ian Bell

James Anderson. (Photo Source: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Former England international Ian Bell has backed his former teammate James Anderson to excel in India, when the Ben Stokes-led side travel to the subcontinent for a five-match series, which is slated to begin on January 25 next year. Notably, after veteran pacer Stuart Broad announced his retirement, all eyes were on Anderson to check whether he will follow the suit.

However, the 41-year-old clarified that he has no such intention and aims to play for England in the coming times. Bell also added that Anderson can be a reliable option with the dry ball in India and can also guide the next generation of English pacers.

“One player England don’t need to worry about losing just yet is James Anderson. Just because Stuart has retired doesn’t make him more likely to follow suit in my opinion. England will need his experience in India, not to mention that reliability to bowl dry. He will have big job helping this next England seam attack develop,” Bell said while talking to Betfair.

In India, England will need to be smart: Bell

Against Australia, in the recently concluded Ashes 2023, England lost the first couple of matches of the series, but after that, they changed their approach, winning two out of the last three matches. Speaking about the same, England skipper Ben Stokes stated that they have slightly tweaked their Bazball strategy and hence got the success.

Bell too believes that England will have to be smart and will have to adapt well when they take on India. He expects Bazball to work against India but is aware of the challenges that the team can face.

“As Ben Stokes said in the press conference the other day, he’s been asked whether Bazball would work against Pakistan, South Africa, Australia. So, yes, it will be used in India. But it will be an adapted Bazball. That’s what was so good about the Ashes. England showed they could learn and adapt as the series went on. In India they will need to be smart,” Bell added.