First, the agonising 22-run loss at Lord’s hurt India’s morale. Then, injuries to key players threatened to cripple their plans going into the crucial fourth Test at Manchester, which begins on Wednesday.
But this young Indian team look to be strong mentally and so they appear ready to challenge England once again in their bid to win at Old Trafford. Being 1-2 down in the five-Test series, they can’t afford to lose.
What will also perhaps help Shubman Gill and his teammates be refreshed is the one-week break they have had after the third Test. A meet-and-greet session with
Manchester United footballers at the club’s Carrington training base was also a welcome departure from the pressure situation.
But the injury list has thrown up multiple questions. Getting to the right answers is the key for India.
Unavailability of pacers Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep (both unavailable for the fourth Test), and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy (out of the remainder of the series) means India will have to work out new combinations.
Who will then take up the role of India’s third specialist quick? Prasidh Krishna? Or Haryana’s Anshul Kamboj? The latter does stand a chance of a Test debut, going by Gill’s words. “We have seen his (Kamboj’s) skill set. We have the belief that he can win matches for us. Kamboj is close to making his debut tomorrow (Wednesday),” Gill said on Tuesday.
“The communication is simple with Anshul. We have seen him enough, and the kind of skill set he brings to the table is exactly what we want in this team.
“When Akash was brought in, a lot of people had questions, but it’s mainly the belief that we have within our squad. Any player who comes to the team can win matches for us,” Gill added.
The third pacer aside, India also need to sort out the remainder of their combination. Who comes in at Nitish’s place? Will it be a straightaway replacement by bringing in the tried and tested Shardul Thakur? Or, will India look to cushion their batting further by making keeper Dhruv Jurel play as a specialist batsman?
It won’t be much of a surprise if both Sai Sudharsan (having a fair chance of returning to the side) and the misfiring Karun Nair are included in the XI. In fact, Nair getting one more chance cannot be ruled out.
“We’ve had conversations with Karun, and we think he is batting well. In the first Test, he didn’t play at his number (No. 3 slot)... No issues with his batting. It’s difficult for a player when he makes a comeback in a series like this.
“Sometimes it’s also about getting that click. Once you’re able to make your fifty, then you’re able to get back into your zone and get some big runs. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened for him so far, but we are hopeful that he will be able to turn it around,” Gill explained.
If both Sudharsan and Nair feature in the XI, the team management will have to decide whether to continue with spinner all-rounder Washington Sundar or bring in seamer all-rounder Shardul.
The Old Trafford pitch has a greener look compared to the surface at Lord’s. Even if the pitch goes through another round or two of mowing before the start of the Test, it should be having some purchase for the quicks on the first two days at least.
Pant behind stumps
Amid the worries due to injuries, there’s some relief in the Indian camp as Rishabh Pant is fit to carry out his duties as a keeper-batter at Old Trafford. Pant, who had sustained a left index finger injury on Day I of the third Test and couldn’t keep wickets further, underwent a training session that lasted over two hours on Monday.
“Rishabh will keep the wickets in this Test,” Gill confirmed.
Not just for Pant’s ability to put the pressure back on the opposition with his aggressive batting, but his constant chirping behind the stumps was also something that India missed at Lord’s.
