Chennai: The evening smog in Kolkata made it doubly harder to pick mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy from his hand, feels England vice-captain Harry Brook, who is hoping that Chennai air will be comparatively clearer for sighting the white Kookaburra.

Harry Brook was trolled for saying that the Kolkata smog was one of the biggest reasons why England failed to pick India's Varun Chakarvarthy from his hand.

In the first T20I against India at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, England's batters were struggling not just with the spin threat but smog. The thick haze that covered the stadium made it tough for the visitors to pick the ball,

Harry Brook, England's vice-captain, says that his team's hopes of combatting India's spin bowlers in the first T20I were hampered by an unusual but familiar foe to English touring sides - a thick layer of smog hanging over the ground in Kolkata.

Harry Brook looked uncomfortable against the spin when spinners were operating and lost his wicket to Varun Chakravarthy.

Ahead of the second T20I against India, England batter and vice-captain Harry Brook placed blame on smog for his team's struggles against spin bowling, particularly Varun Chakravarthy during their loss in the first T20I at Eden Gardens on Wednesday.