Ranchi, Feb 22: Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah’s absence is a concern but an assertive and adaptive India will have the edge against England’s seemingly depth-less ‘Bazball’ approach when the two sides clash in the potentially series-deciding fourth Test beginning here on Friday.
From the dry heat of Rajkot to the much cooler confines of Ranchi, the temperature shift would be the only soothing factor for the Englishmen who have let it slip against the resilient hosts and are trailing 1-2.
Eyeing a 17th series win on the trot at home, India have been near invincible since the shock defeat to Alastair Cook’s England in 2012. After that, India have won a staggering 38 out of 47 Tests, and have lost just thrice (two each versus Australia and England) when challenges on home turf.
Captaining a depleted batting line-up in the absence of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and an out-of-form Shreyas Iyer, Rohit Sharma has found answers from the young guns, whose performance has been the biggest takeaway from the series so far.Whether it is Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has maintained an impressive average of 109 with a total of 545 runs, or Sarfaraz Khan, who ended his prolonged wait for a Test debut with a blazing 66-ball 62 in Rajkot, or Shubman Gill, gradually settling in at No.3, India’s next generation of batters are showcasing how a seamless transition happens.
As for replacing Bumrah, who has been the top wicket-taker (17) of the series which was expected to be dominated by spinners, it could well be India’s Achilles’ heel in Ranchi. Bumrah has been rested after bowling a little more than 80 overs in the three gone-by Tests.His reverse-swing mastery on day two of the Vizag Test during a six-wicket burst, was the biggest contributing factor in the 106-run win that levelled the series 1-1.
On a docile Rajkot wicket too, Bumrah made in-roads giving India crucial breakthroughs.Keeping in mind the seaming conditions in Dharamsala for the fifth Test and the hectic IPL season ahead, Bumrah has been given a break, making Mohammed Siraj the sole experienced pacer in the line-up.
History suggests that the JSCA Stadium pitch will suit a plan featuring two seamers and three spinners.But England’s assessment of the conditions has been that four spinners and one seamer attack would be ideal.That may bring Shoaib Bashir into the picture to go alongside Tom Hartley, Rehan Ahmed and Joe Root. Root has more overs (107) under his belt than runs (77) in this series.India, on the other hand, have preferred the conventional two-pacer-three-spinner combination and it’s unlikely that Axar Patel would be recalled. (PTI)
