On Saturday, as the Indian team was playing the West Indies Cricket Board President’s XI in St Kitts in their second tour match, Rohit Sharma was busy in the nets. Along with a couple of other bowlers who had been rested for that game, he looked to make up time ahead of the first Test starting in Antigua on July 21. He worked on his defense and offense, the question mark ever hanging over his head: will he make the first XI come Thursday?
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On Monday, during the team’s practice session at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on the outskirts of St John’s, the nets were divided into three sections. The spinners bowled on the right; in the middle, batsmen took throwdowns from the support staff; and on the left, the pacers were busy and Stuart Binny was among them. Bowling to Shikhar Dhawan, he managed to beat the outside edge on more than a few occasions, getting a nice away shape onto the ball. Will Virat Kohli pick him?
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On Tuesday, the team had an optional net session and only five players showed up. Amit Mishra was one of them. A day prior, Anil Kumble had marked a zone on one of the practice pitches for him to bowl at. Perhaps it was two leg-spinners sharing trade secrets, or maybe a coach was helping his ward improve. Either way, it was tough to ascertain if Team India would field their troika of spinners.
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On Thursday, when the latest chapter in the West Indies-India cricket rivalry begins in Antigua, it makes for some wonderment if the ball will swing or spin more. Three days before the Test, from afar, the centre wicket looked baked. Two days out, a closer inspection revealed patches of fresh grass, perhaps to hold the wicket together for five days. Whether this pitch lasts the distance or not, it will definitely impact the Indian team’s selection for the first of 17 Tests they will play in 2016-'17.
Pace or spin?
There are three questions that the think-tank must ponder over, and decide the final composition. First, how many batsmen and bowlers do they want to play with? Second, if they choose five bowlers, will that option be pace or spin? And third, is the batting line-up settled enough to go in with five batsmen, plus Wriddhiman Saha?
Let us get the obvious out of the way. Skipper Virat Kohli was pretty clear in his pre-departure press conference that at this juncture, Saha is their first-choice keeper. This partly closes the door on KL Rahul.
The bit that remains partially open is to do with form, for the Karnataka opener has been in scintillating touch these last couple of months. He scored freely in the 2016 Indian Premier League, and then got called up to the One-Day International squad, thereafter celebrating a maiden hundred in Zimbabwe. Even in the two practice matches here, he has looked good, scoring two half-centuries in as many innings.
Time to dump Dhawan?
With Murali Vijay confirmed, the decision remains between Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan. The left-hander is the team management’s first choice. Last year, he scored Test centuries in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but then in the home series against South Africa, managed only 150 runs in seven innings, with a highest of an unbeaten 45. He has a habit of starting slow, and this perpetual struggle for form should be a cause for concern. It might just hand Rahul the advantage.
The other batting concern is regarding No 3. As soon as he had assumed charge as team director, Ravi Shastri talked about playing aggressive cricket and giving bowlers a lot of time to take 20 wickets. This theory was based on placing Rohit Sharma at No 3, a move that backfired within four Tests. Cheteshwar Pujara was back at his customary spot in the South Africa series, but again didn’t do enough, scoring one half-century in six innings and averaging only 33.66 in four Tests at home.
Kumble’s thoughts on this matter will have a lot of bearing and it is easy to assume that Pujara will get the nod. But there can be no denying that this No 3 position is a bit fluid at the moment, something the West Indies’ attack can take advantage of. It becomes a bit more concerning when Ajinkya Rahane’s words are taken into account.
Slow tracks
“We are expecting slow tracks in this Test series. It will mean that bowlers will need to work in pairs and exhibit patience. Bowling in partnerships and maintaining consistency will be important on slow wickets,” he had said on Monday.
In his short time as Test skipper, Kohli has mostly played with five bowlers, particularly when such slow tracks become the norm. He likes to rotate his bowling options aggressively, giving his bowlers shorter spells and keeping the batsmen guessing. This is most likely achieved with a five-pronged attack, one with a balance of pace and spin.
“I don’t remember the last time an Indian team visited here with 3-4 pacers, who can all bowl at good pace, said legendary West Indies’ ex-pacer Courtney Walsh, in the build-up to the first Test. “I like what I have seen of this bunch in St Kitts, and while Ishant Sharma looks the clear leader of this pack, I cannot be sure which of them will play in the first Test. It is a good problem for the Indian team,” he added.
A school of thought suggests the option of pairing Ishant with Binny, and then going in with three spinners. But it would short-change the four fast bowlers sitting on the bench. The likely toss-up will be between Binny and Mishra for the fifth bowler’s spot.
And in whose favour the coin lands will depend upon how much grass is shaved off the pitch.
Expected line-up: Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Amit Mishra, Ravinchandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma
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