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Rediff.com  » Sports » We are not taking England lightly: Harbhajan

We are not taking England lightly: Harbhajan

By Harish Kotian
November 13, 2008 16:59 IST
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Buoyed after mauling the Aussies, India will not to let complacency affect them as they gear up to face England in the seven-match ODI series, beginning in Rajkot on Friday.

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh insisted that the hosts are not taking England lightly despite the visitors not being as strong as Australia.

"On paper they might not look as strong a team as Australia, but I believe they have a better bowling attack. They have a better bowling unit than Australia for these bowling conditions. Freddie [Andrew Flintoff] is a good bowler and so are the other pacers, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson and Stuart Broad. They have also got Monty [Panesar], who will be quite useful in these conditions during the Tests," Harbhajan told rediff.com.

India may have beaten Australia 2-0 in the just-concluded four-Test series, but Harbhajan believes that England offers a different challenge.

"We know that we won a very big series, but our focus is on playing the same kind of cricket. If we play to our potential then we definitely have a good chance of beating England as well."

He also feels the presence of Kevin Pietersen and Flintoff makes England's batting formidable.

"They also have a decent batting line-up. Kevin Pietersen can make a difference if he fires, plus they also have good batsmen in Flintoff and Paul Collingwood. They are a decent side and they did well when they played last time in India. We are not taking them lightly," he added.

India plays seven ODIs against the visitors, with the first match on Friday, followed by two Tests next month.

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Harish Kotian

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