It will be happening for the first time in the last decade or so that Team India will be having a new wicketkeeper in the Test match against England as the first Test of the five-match series is scheduled to start from August 1. Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant hasn’t been a regular gloveman for India and hence former India stumper Kiran More has some advice for him as he said that they should wait for the ball in England as long as possible and be very still.

In an interview to Mumbai Mirror, More stressed on the importance of anticipation, he said, “The key is not to move too much in those conditions. Sudden, jerky movements are an absolute no-no. Soft hands are very important. With stiff hands, you will struggle. You have to wait for the ball to come to you, and try and take it close to the body. You have to be in the right position and get behind the line. You cannot collect it on the side.”

In the current scenario, there are certain chances that Karthik has more chances to play the first Test as compare to Pant at Edgbaston given his experience and the fact that the did the job in India’s previous Test in June with Wriddhiman Saha injured, while the uncapped Rishabh Pant is the reserve wicketkeeper. While Dinesh has played three Tests in England, he has never kept wickets. MS Dhoni kept wickets in the Test series win in 2007, the 0-4 whitewash in 2011 and the 1-3 loss in 2014.

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Kiran, who is working with the young glovemen at the NCA in Bengaluru, further added, “In England, the ball can dip sharply after it passes the stumps and there is also late movement, when it is about two-three feet away from you. Even (MS) Dhoni had problems in 2007, I had a few as well in 1986. Luckily I had played league cricket in England before my Test debut. So I was aware of the challenges to an extent.”

India and England will lock horns for the second Test at Lord’s from August 6 and More singled that out as tough to keep at.

Former Indian stumper said, “The Oval (in London) is mostly normal, and Edgbaston (in Birmingham) is not that bad. But Lord’s and Leeds are the most problematic grounds for a keeper. Because of the slope at Lord’s, the ball comes in or moves further away (depending on which end the bowling is happening from). Based on that, you have to anticipate and take an extra step either to the right or to the left. Else what happens is the ball can often fly down the leg side or through the slip cordon.”