England favourites against formidable India, feels Steyn
Mumbai, July 26: South African paceman Dale Steyn feels that the Virat Kohli-led Indian team is "capable of anything" but England bowlers' experience will be the difference between the two sides when the five-match Test rubber kicks-off on August 1 in Birmingham.
The 35-year-old pacer also opined that the upcoming high-octane series will be full of runs due to present dry conditions in England.
Speaking to media persons at a promotional event here, Steyn said: "I don't like any predictions. The advantage probably lies with England, obviously being at home and with such a long tour. It tends to become very long."
"They (India) have been there for ODIs and are a very good touring team now. (But) if I put my money, I will probably put it on England," he added.
Praising the Indian skipper, the pacer said: "Led by Virat this Indian team is capable of anything. I know Virat pretty well; he's quite a determined character. Five Test matches are going to be good for one team and if one team gets on a roll the other team will be blown away.
"(But) it's going to be a hard-fought Test series. The England bowlers are a little bit more skilled and that's where the difference will be, that will be the tipping point," the 35-year-old explained.
Steyn however, did not rule out India's chances in the series and said that the English bowlers might struggle against the Indian batsmen if the wicket remains dry.
"If the ball swings they (England seamers) are going to play a massive role but if it doesn't swing then how are they going to get someone like Kohli or Shikhar (Dhawan), who opens the batting, and K L Rahul (out)?," Steyn asked.
"They played well in South Africa, which I consider is the hardest place to play cricket. They came to South Africa and just got better. It could be true in England too." he added.
Commenting on the English bowlers, Steyn said: "It's going to be a high-scoring series but England's bowlers are probably just a little bit better than the Indians."
"I think it's (weather in England) massively dry. It's going to be a lot of runs. But they are conditions that England are used to. Home series generally goes away with home sides," he opined.
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Nine of family killed as car falls into well in Nashik district
Nashik (PTI): Nine members of a family, including six children, were killed after their car fell into a well in Maharashtra's Nashik district, police said on Saturday.
The accident occurred in the Shivaji Nagar area of Dindori town around 10 pm on Friday, an official said.
The victims were heading home after attending a function at a banquet hall in the area when their car fell into a well near the venue, he said.
Personnel from the local police and emergency services arrived at the scene and retrieved the car and its occupants with the help of two cranes and swimmers around midnight.
The victims were members of the Dargude family from Indore village in Dindori taluka, the official said.
According to the police, the deceased were identified as Sunil Dattu Dargude (32), his wife Reshma, Asha Anil Dargude (32), and six children from the family, five girls in the age group of seven to 14 years and an 11-year-old boy.
Their bodies were brought to the government hospital in Dindori, the official said, adding that a case has been registered and a probe is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident.
