How many spinners will India select, and the Bharat vs. Kishan matchup still needs to be answered after Sunday’s training session.
How Many Spinners Will India Select
Two spinners and three fast bowlers? Alternatively, how about one spinner and four quick bowlers, including Shardul Thakur? Which player—KS Bharat, a specialist, or Ishan Kishan, a player with extra something—should be the wicketkeeper?
Since announcing its lineup for the WTC final, India has been faced with several essential concerns. You would have needed help leaving The Oval on Sunday, two days before the test dubbed the Ultimate Test, with any indications of what lineup IND is leaning towards.
During India’s first training session in London after nearly a week in Arundel, where the team assembled in batches with players entering at different times while the IPL was completed, two young guys in their 20s who are close friends were the centre of attention.
Shubman Gill Off the pitch, Gill and Kishan have a tight relationship and aren’t afraid to poke fun at one another. Gill drove Kishan when he saw the left-hander make several unsuccessful attempts to sweep the ball. Kishan said it was “not my shot.”
Kishan, who has yet to play in a Test match, had two lengthy batting sessions totalling around 75 minutes, although he did not work on his keeping. Late in his second spell, he also had a possible fright when he attempted to push at a delivery from left-arm fast Aniket Choudhary, one of India’s backup bowlers and was struck in the left forearm.
Shubman Off the pitch, Gill and Kishan have a tight relationship and aren’t afraid to poke fun at one another. Gill drove Kishan when he saw the left-hander make several unsuccessful attempts to sweep the ball. Kishan said it was “not my shot.” Kishan, who has yet to play in a Test match, had two lengthy batting sessions totalling around 75 minutes, although he did not work on his keeping.
Late in his second spell, he also had a possible fright when he attempted to push at a delivery from left-arm fast Aniket Choudhary, one of India’s backup bowlers and was struck in the left forearm.
Although he did not keep wickets, the substantial amount of batting time he received suggests that IND is taking Kishan seriously. Ricky Ponting, a former captain of Australia, stated Kishan would be in his starting lineup for India because he is an “X-factor player that you need when you might be pushing for a win in a Test match.” Ponting believed Rishabh Pant, who is recuperating from wounds received in a vehicle accident last December, had already completed that task.
Direct rival of Kishan, Bharat, began the practice session with wicketkeeping drills on one of the practice strips on the main square before returning to bat. For the four-Test home series against Australia in February and March, Bharat took the position of Pant. He showed promise but is still developing in front and behind the wickets.
The fact that the ball in England often wobbles and dips after crossing the stumps is a significant challenge for wicketkeepers. Therefore, skill and placement are essential when facing fast bowlers from a distance. While Bharat maintained wickets for IND A in one match against West Indies A at Beckenham in 2018, Bharat and Kishan have yet to experience keeping in England.
Overall, the Indians played their best game of the season on a beautiful Sunday. When midday arrived, and The Oval gleamed under a clear blue sky, they removed their sweater hoodies that they had been wearing all morning.
The remainder of the Indian
team, excluding Ajinkya Rahane and the fast bowling combination of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav, completed batting sessions.
Gill delighted in his time in the sunlight. He played two Tests in England in 2021, including the previous WTC final in Southampton, and three County Championship games for Glamorgan in 2022, scoring 244 runs at an average of 61.00, including a 92 against Worcestershire and a century against Sussex in his four innings. He also has experience playing long-format cricket in English conditions. Gill, incidentally, batted third in each of the four innings.
Gill and Rohit Sharma will start the WTC final because KL Rahul is injured. Gill comes to England after an outstanding performance in the IPL and all international forms in 2023. However, Gill will be aware of Australia’s bowling lineup and the circumstances favouring seamers and allow the Duke’s ball to surprise even the most incredible batters. On Sunday, Gill and batting coach Vikram Rathour had much one-on-one time.
In England’s first four Tests of the 2021–22 Test series, India played the dominant hand thanks to a strong opening partnership that saw Rohit and Rahul score significant runs. Rahul in the second Test at Lord’s and Rohit in the fourth Test at The Oval achieved match-winning hundreds.
The upcoming week’s prognosis, which calls for bright weather with temperatures ranging from the late teens to the early 20s Celsius, should allay whatever concerns India may have had about playing in June (The Oval has never hosted a Test match in June; since 1880, there have only been three), which would have been helpful. The game will be played on a brand-new pitch with the surface, albeit the specific strip utilised has yet to be determined.
All three Indian spinners bowled and batted on Sunday, indicating that if IND chooses to field two slow bowlers, R Ashwin and Axar Patel will be considered for the second spinner’s position. However, India made sure Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, and Umesh were prepared in addition to the main new-ball combo of Shami and Siraj in case they fielded four-seamers.
Both Thakur and Unadkat bowled for long stretches before having good batting runs. Rahul Dravid, the head coach, also provided Unadkat with bat swing coaching.
After seeing the training for over three hours, you would leave with the idea that IND is going with all their options open but is prepared.
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