"Hopefully the air is a bit clearer here" - Harry Brook blames 'smog' in Kolkata for not being able to pick Varun Chakravarthy's bowling

England vice-captain Harry Brook opined that he could not judge Varun Charkavarthy's spin bowling in Kolkata due to the 'smog'. Brook lost his stumps to the Indian spinner while batting on 17 runs in the first T20I at Eden Gardens on January 22.

India's spinners troubled England a lot in the opening game of the five-match T20I series in Kolkata. Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets, while vice-captain Axar Patel bagged two wickets as India bowled England out for just 132.

Speaking to the media ahead of the second T20I in Chennai, Harry Brook hoped that the weather is better at the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the upcoming game.

"Chakaravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler, but with the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick. Hopefully the air is a bit clearer here and we can see the ball a bit easier," Brook said.

It is pertinent to note that two years ago, Brook scored his maiden IPL century while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens. Varun Chakravarthy was in the KKR playing XI for that game, and he ended with figures of 1/41 in four overs.

"Facing spin in T20 cricket is probably the hardest thing in the game" - Harry Brook

During the same chat, Harry Brook further opened up on the challenges of facing spin bowling, especially in the shortest format of the game. Brook commented:

"Facing spin in T20 cricket is probably the hardest thing in the game, especially because I always get out trying to absolutely smack it. Maybe I’ve got to rein in a little bit, but we’ll see."

The second T20I of the India vs England series will be held on January 25. The conditions in Chennai generally favor the slower bowlers. It will be interesting to see how Brook performs.