India chase ranking points in series finale against England
Not often does Rohit Sharma indulge in a war of words on the eve of a Test match. On Wednesday, in the foothills of the Himalayas, he was different as the India captain spoke on how this long series against England has been a learning curve.
Having sealed the Test series, skipper Rohit indulged in wordplay, when provoked. He spoke of how there has been a resurrection of sorts for the players, himself included. Minus the big boys like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and other breakdowns, the way Rohit and coach Rahul Dravid have marshalled the resources has been marvellous. There was also a reference to how potent a hitter Rishabh Pant was in response to some cheeky stuff with the reference point being Ben Duckett.
“There was a guy called Rishabh Pant in our team, probably Duckett hasn’t seen him play,” said Rohit. England have been smarting and hinted that India have relied on superstar Yashavi Jaiswal alone.
On an emotional quotient, this Test, beginning on Thursday ranks high. The weather is very different from what it was in Hyderabad, Vizag, Rajkot and Ranchi. That was heat and humidity, with Ranchi a tad cooler.
Dharamshala is like home for the Englishmen and the Barmy Army. But then, even they have pulled out woolen caps and are clothed fully. They will have to peel off the layers when they play against India in a match where two men will be playing their 100th Tests – R.Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow.
It’s a big deal, playing a 100th Test. Ashwin has been the big boss off spin bowler, tantalising, menacing and hungry. At 37 plus, he innovates, creates geometry in the air and then bamboozles the batters. The Chennai man has spoken recently of the emotions and feeling on such an illustrious career.
Perhaps, the tribute from the skipper was perfect. Rohit Sharma: “ Ashwin playing 100 Tests is a big achievement. He has been a big match-winner for us. Jitna bhi tareef karo utna kam hai. Every series, he has had big contributions. I played under-19 cricket with him when he was opener. And I even used to bowl then, later became a batter,” said Rohit.
Rohit also spoke on how this series has helped him rediscover his own batting and guide the Young Turks like Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep. Of course, Rajat Patidar is the odd one out. Whether he gets to play on Thursday or Devdutt Padikka comes in is speculation.
For sure, ace pace Jasprit Bumrah is back in the side. In cold and windy conditions like these, he can use the red ball with penetration. Rohit hinted at an additional seamer but the surface is not green. Plenty of Ranji Trophy cricket has been played here. The curator will prepare a belter and then the wicket should aid spinners. After all, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja know how to bowl in all conditions. This series is far from over for India as there are more ranking points to be clinched in the ICC Test Championship cycle. A win in the last Test will be awesome and India will be dead sure of again taking on the Aussies, later, in the ICC Test final. For now, this series has shown India has talent and even minus some big guns, the team has whipped England. The father of Bazball, Jonny Bairstow, an all format player, has looked like a fish out of water in this series.
He is playing his 100th Test and is emotional about it. He is craving to do well with the bat and score runs, apart from doing the glove work behind the stumps.
“I’m super excited for him (Bairstow) and he’s been quite chirpier the last couple of days. I’ve been there for a lot of his career. Age-group cricket, I played against him and with him. Obviously, we went on to play loads of cricket for England together. He’s one of England’s finest all-format batters, he’s done some unbelievable things with the red ball and the white ball,” said skipper Ben Stokes on Bairstow’s 100th Test. The captain, himself, may be tempted to bowl in this Test.
From an Indian point of view, Dharamshala, not a regular Test centre, has been lucky for India. One Test was played here against Australia eight years ago. The weather forecast is cold and how players cope with it will be interesting to watch. Rain prediction is there for Thursday.
India have generated heat in this series. Hopefully, they will continue to deliver one more punch in a scenic cricket ground. Rohit is pumped up, which means England need to watch out.
India Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson,
Mark Wood
