Team India’s success in the upcoming Champions Trophy will depend a lot on how well their bowling attack adapts to the flat pitches of Dubai, where Rohit Sharma’s men will be playing all their matches despite Pakistan being the hosts of the competition.
Among the bowling group, how well senior quick Mohammed Shami and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav turn up might be a key factor for India. The England ODIs, beginning from Thursday in Nagpur, give the duo a chance to brush up their skills and gain a bit of rhythm ahead of the ICC event.
Shami played a fair amount of domestic cricket for Bengal since his recovery before featuring in two T20Is of the just-concluded series against England. Going wicketless in his India comeback in Rajkot last week bowling three overs, Shami had better numbers to show after his second appearance in the series, striking thrice at the Wankhede on Sunday.
That he got the ball to move a bit to dismiss Ben Duckett, who was the first of his three scalps on Sunday, was indication enough of Shami gradually getting into his groove. “The only concern is Shami’s workload, which the team management is quite careful about,” a BCCI source told The Telegraph on Monday.
“Shami will obviously be needed to play a vital role in the Champions Trophy. So, to ensure he stays 100 per cent fit during the tournament, he may feature at best in two England ODIs. Since he played on Sunday, it won’t be surprising if he’s rested for the opening ODI in Nagpur.”
For Kuldeep, Uttar Pradesh’s last Ranji Trophy game against Madhya Pradesh in Indore (which concluded on Sunday) marked his comeback following recovery from a groin injury that had sidelined him since late October. He finished with 3/124 off 31 overs on an extremely flat deck.
“He went through the rigours of a first-class game that counts much more than a T20 or a one-dayer. Fitness-wise, thus, there shouldn’t be any worries, while it’s not easy either to strike thrice on such a flat wicket in your comeback game,” said Kapil Panday, Kuldeep’s coach.
Bumrah at NCA
Jasprit Bumrah, dealing with a back injury, has reached the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. New Zealand-based orthopaedic surgeon Rowan Schouten will be consulted regarding Bumrah’s scan reports.
Bumrah has been included in the squad for the third ODI against England.