“We are confident of how we play the pink ball,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli.
All eyes will be on Ahmedabad come Wednesday, as India and England face-off in a pink-ball Test match at the newly revamped Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad. The humongous stadium will witness a flurry of VIP activity throughout the day, but both teams will do well to not get overawed by the occasion. A place in the World Test Championship is up for grabs, and a lot will depend on how the sides fare in the upcoming game.
Tied 1-1 at the halfway stage, the series is poised for an interesting finish with England needing to win the remaining two games, and India requiring at least another win. They will also need to avoid a defeat in the remaining two games. Fresh from the 36 all out in their recent Day-Night Test at Adelaide, skipper Virat Kohli stressed on the importance of learning from the mistakes that the side had committed in December.
“Barring that 45 minutes of bad cricket, we dominated that Test as well. We are confident of how we play the pink ball. Even in Australia, where the pitches were assisting their seamers, they were under the pump throughout the game. We understand that quite well. From the outside, things are not as detailed or as explained about what happens in the change room. But you understand exactly what went wrong that day and you brush it aside, which the team did beautifully in the Melbourne Test. These are experiences. Not a mental scar. Not a hindrance. Something you learn from and move ahead,” he added.
The conditions are expected to pose a few questions, with both James Anderson and Ishant Sharma – who will be playing his 100th Test match – uncertain about what to expect.
“This pink ball Test match, we are playing on a new ground, so even for us there are a few things we don’t know how we will have to tackle,” Ishant said.
Anderson, on the other hand, had quipped that the pink ball swung a bit more in the air during practice, especially around twilight. However, dew could make the SG pink ball, with extra lacquer, to skid off the surface as the evening progresses. The 2.30pm start will mean that there will be considerable dew in the last session, which will make it tough for the slower bowlers.
Team news:
India: The Indians may be in a conundrum when it comes to playing either Kuldeep Yadav or Umesh Yadav. Traditionally India would have gone with the latter, but the fact that the pitch will dry out as the match progresses might force the Indians to play three spinners. Jasprit Bumrah is almost certain to make the XI after being rested for the last match.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
England: The English team may make as many as five changes, with James Anderson and (if fit) Jofra Archer sure shot entrants. There could be a toss-up between Chris Woakes and Dom Bess, depending on whether England go in with two spinners. Jonny Bairtsow and Zak Crawley may replace Dan Lawrence and Rory Burns.
Possible XI: Rory Burns/Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wk), Dom Bess/Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, James Anderson