Sports
India target series victory, England make two changes
England call up seamer Ollie Robinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir, replacing Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed
February 22, 2024 | 11:32 PM
India will secure a series victory with a win against England in the third Test beginning in Ranchi today but they must do so without their pace spearhead against a touring side looking to uphold their aggressive style of play.A 2-1 cushion in the five-match series has allowed India to rest Jasprit Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker of the series, for the match to manage his workload.With Mohamed Shami missing the series with an ankle injury, the onus is now on Mohamed Siraj to lead India’s pace attack.Akash Deep is expected to make his Test debut as the second seamer.India, who have not lost a Test series on home soil since defeat by England in 2012, are expected to pick a spin-heavy attack on a pitch that already has cracks at both ends.Middle order batter KL Rahul, who injured his thigh in the opening Test in Hyderabad, has not recovered yet but India will take heart from Sarfaraz Khan’s twin fifties in his debut Test in Rajkot.Wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel, who also made his debut in Rajkot, struck a fluent 46 to prove he is no dud with the bat either."The youngsters are really smart, which is a great news for us," India batting coach Vikram Rathour told reporters on Thursday."Of course, our domestic cricket is so strong that you are pretty assured that only quality players are coming through."We are missing some key players but a home series is always a good opportunity for the young talents to play in familiar conditions and establish themselves in the side."Smarting from their defeat by 434 runs in Rajkot, England have brought in seamer Ollie Robinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir, replacing Mark Wood and Rehan Ahmed.The 30-year-old Robinson last played for England in the third Ashes Test at Headingley in July, where he bowled just 11.2 overs before being sidelined for the remainder of the series with a back spasm.He replaces Wood, who has played in two of the India Tests, while Bashir comes in for Rehan.The 20-year-old Bashir made his Test debut in the second match against India at Visakhapatnam after missing the opener because of a visa delay.England suffered a 434-run defeat in the third Test and trail 2-1 in the five-match series. The pitch in Ranchi is expected to be spin-friendly and England skipper Ben Stokes wants the rookie Bashir, a tall off-spinner, to utilise the conditions to his advantage."We do like to look at the pitch two days out and one day out because that’s how we like to pick our XIs," said Stokes, who a day earlier said he had "never seen anything like" the Ranchi wicket.The surface appears to have deep cracks down one side but looks flat on the other."Someone like Bash, who releases the ball from such a high release point, the extra bounce that he gets we feel is going to bring us more into the game," said Stokes.All-rounder Stokes came into the series purely as a batsman after knee surgery last year but he bowled in the nets Wednesday, offering the kind of boost the tourists need after the heavy defeat in the third Test.He was non-committal on Thursday about the chances of him bowling in Ranchi, saying "maybe, maybe not".Stokes was more effusive on the subject of pace spearhead James Anderson, who will play his second straight match after a break of just five days at the age of 41.Anderson is four short of 700 Test wickets, but returned with just one wicket in the previous match."If you’re a young fast bowler, Jimmy Anderson is the one person who you want as your role model," Stokes said of the man dubbed the "swing king" for his ability to seam the ball both ways. "Not only the amount of wickets he’s got but the fact he can keep going at his age," said Stokes, adding that Anderson was "raring to go and feeling as fresh as a fiddle".England have put their weight behind struggling senior batsmen Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root to come good in the final two Tests, with the team’s attacking "Bazball" philosophy under scrutiny like never before. Bairstow, a solid middle-order batsman set for his 99th Test, has managed just 102 runs so far. "If batters have a tough time over a short period it will come under scrutiny. I don’t look at it like that, I look at what Jonny has contributed for a long period of time, since I’ve been captain," said Stokes. "He has money in the bank, he’s a quality player. He’s someone who has been very integral to what we have done."
February 22, 2024 | 11:32 PM