Ganguly insists England's mental approach to batting, facing spin causing problems

Former India cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly has insisted that the problem England has is their mental approach to batting and facing spin bowling and they have to change that to win matches.

England flopped in the face of spin for the umpteenth time in Nottingham, to give India an unassailable 2-0 lead in five-match ODI series without the tourists really having had to break sweat. And Ganguly believes that the problems of Alastair Cook and company are as much in their heads as out on the pitch.

Ganguly headed an Indian team that chased down 326 to win a one-dayer, something England has never done. Now a cricket pundit, the former skipper said that there are two things he thinks England are getting wrong when it comes to their one-day batting, The Mirror reported.

He said that England is thinking getting to 300 is a problem and is such a hard thing to do, and added that their mental approach has to change. He said that the second thing is England's approach to spin.

The skipper said that as soon as England see a pitch where spin might play a part they struggle and they tell themselves they will struggle. He said that the hosts should take the game to the spinners and force them to change what they are doing.

Ganguly said that one has to find a way to play spin better than this, adding that one might not score off a few balls but they can make those up later in their innings if they don't give it away.

England has been paralyzed by spin, and not even exceptional spin at that, for years, and unless they find a way to be more positive and take the game to the bowlers they will keep lagging behind the rest, the report added.