After the spin duo of Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann played a key role in England’s Test victories earlier on the tour, James Tredwell got the visitors off to a winning start in the one-day series at Rajkot. The off-spinner who has picked seven wickets in the three games so far spoke to the media ahead of the fourth ODI at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium.
Trailing 1-2, the visitors will be seeking a win here to keep the five-match series alive. Speaking to the media on the eve of the match, Tredwell said, “We go in to every game trying to win it, regardless of how the series is standing. And certainly it is at the back of your mind, but you have to focus on the next ball and then hopefully things take care of themselves, in terms of results.”
“It’s nice to have a new challenge, new game,” he added while talking about the conditions in Mohali, which are different from the ones that they have encountered so far in the series.
Ahead of the must-win game, the English side is hoping to draw confidence from their victory at Rajkot – before their two consecutive losses. Tredwell, who was the Man of the Match in that first ODI, said, “[We have a] point to prove. We have spoken about it. It can’t be quite easy in this part of the world if you get on a bad trot; you can let your heads drop and we can’t allow that [feeling] to creep in. Obviously, we played really well in the first game and we will try to draw on that performance and try and reach those heights as opposed to dwelling on the poor performances of the last two games. We have had a couple of days of good practice and we are going into this one pretty confident.”
“Obviously, that is in the back of our minds [that this is a must-win match]; but I think if you look forward to the result too quickly, then you take your eye off the process. I guess we are just going into the game trying to execute our skills as best as we can and if we do that and perform like we did in the first game, there is every chance we can turn them over.”
Looking back on the way the series has panned out for him so far, Tredwell said, “First and foremost it is nice to be out there and getting a few games under my belt. Thankfully, it has gone OK so far, but if you rest on that, then you are not looking forward to better things ahead.”
Asked if his experience has helped him so far, he said, “Absolutely. Having played a fair amount of games domestically at home sort of helps you come across different conditions, different players and different plans.”
Discussing the possibility of Jos Buttler replacing Craig Kieswetter for the wicketkeeper’s slot, he said, “Buttler is talented boy. I haven’t seen a lot of him ‘keeping, but we have seen him with the bat. And if he has anywhere near as much talent with the glove as he has with the bat, I am sure he will be fine,” he added.
Talking about England’s bowling attack, he said, “We have bowled quite nicely actually over the last few games. We know how dangerous the Indian batting line-up can be and I think we have actually shaped up quite nicely with the ball. Obviously, a few more runs on the board would have been nice. Hopefully, we can go out and get runs on the board and then carry out our plans with the ball.”
Asked if he is knocking on door for a spot in the Test squad, Tredwell said, “That’s all I can do. Obviously, Swanny [Graeme Swann] is a fine performer. He is the man in possession and Monty [Panesar] did really well on the tour over here just before Christmas. So, I guess they are the guys in the possession in the Test arena, but if I can keep knocking on the door, then that’s all I can do.”
