Indian cricket workforce participant R. Ashwin throughout the apply session forward of the India vs England last take a look at match at HPCA Ground in Dharamshala on March 06, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
England could also be licking its wounds however nurses hope of injuring India in just about English climate situations right here. This optimism rose in the week main to the fifth and last Test beginning on Thursday after a recent spell of snowfall in the upper reaches triggered one other spherical of chilly wave.
After India took a series-clinching 3-1 lead at Ranchi, some golf-playing members of the England workforce travelled to Bengaluru whereas some others camped in Chandigarh earlier than touchdown right here. The climate that greeted them has absolutely lifted their spirits.
A start-stop-start sample of play can’t be dominated out however the prevailing day temperature will swimsuit the Englishmen extra. In situations serving to seam bowling on a pitch — final used when Delhi defeated Himachal Pradesh in February — that would make the spinners smile, England’s skipper Ben Stokes will go in with pacers James Anderson and Mark Wood, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir if he recovers from a illness bug.
About the pitch, Stokes mentioned, “Before we even got here we were probably thinking it was going to be a three-seamer-one-spinner attack but then when we saw the wicket and then saw it again today, I think going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call. We felt there would probably be a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are but overall I think the wicket looks an absolute belter.”
Looking on the positives from the tour, Stokes mentioned “we progressed so much on this tour. You look at the players we came out here with. Hartley, Bashir… people couldn’t believe we’d picked them. Look at what they’ve managed to achieve on this trip. We’ve seen Ollie Pope, the innings he played; Ben Duckett changed as a player and a person. I am very, very happy as a captain.”
Stokes acknowledged that the Indians have been higher in the collection. “When the game has been on the line, their skill has been a lot better than ours, whether that be India with the bat or India with the ball. It’s skill versus skill and in the moments that have mattered, since the first game, India have been better.”
Considering the return of Jasprit Bumrah and the situations right here, Rohit Sharma didn’t rule out a three-man tempo assault as an alternative of sticking to the examined spin-trio on a ‘used’ pitch.
The India skipper additionally indicated Devdutt Paddikal’s debut may wait by backed the struggling Rajat Patidar. “He hasn’t scored as many runs he would have liked to but the guy obviously has a lot of ability. He is a talent player. Very much new to Test cricket and we should give him some more time before making a judgement on him.”
The groups:
India (from): Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, R. Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Ok.S. Bharat (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Axar Patel, and Mukesh Kumar.
England (XI): Ben Stokes (Capt.), Ben Foakes (wk), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir, and James Anderson.
Umpires: Joel Wilson and Rod Tucker; TV umpires: Kumar Dharmasena and J. Madanagopal; Match referee: Jeff Crowe.
Match begins at 9.30 a.m.
