Mumbai: India have challenges galore going into the fourth Test starting at Old Trafford on Wednesday – a narrow, heartbreaking loss to overcome and injuries in the bowling attack to contend with.
When the opposition is down and wears a depleted look, most teams are gung-ho about their chances. England though know that they can’t take this India side lightly, especially since there is precedence. No doubt the visitors have their backs to the wall, but the belief of Shubman Gill and Co. is unlikely to be shaken. They’ve been in such a tough situation before, braved it and excelled in it.
For some of the Indian players, the situation they find themselves in – 2-1 down in a five-Test battle with injuries – will feel familiar to the impossible situation they faced in the 2021 Brisbane Test against the formidable Australia.
The fourth Test is vital as India could either draw level with England or lose the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in case there is a result. For inspiration, in the dressing room they have five heroes from the 2021 Gabba Test when a severely depleted India stunned the hosts in their fortress.
Facing a similar challenge at a ground where India have never beaten England, this young side will do well to invoke the spirit of Gabba at Old Trafford.
In Brisbane, Gill as the opener had set up the daring chase with an attacking 91 on the final day. That was his debut series, and he is the captain now. Pant had clinched the chase with an epic unbeaten 89. He is vice-captain now. Mohammed Siraj, also in his first series, had led the bowling attack with a five-wicket haul in the second innings. Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur had produced stunning all-round performances with fighting half-centuries in the first innings while excelling with the ball.
Having competed well in the first three Tests, ideally India would have preferred to stick with the same combination. India’s plans to field their first-choice eleven though are in disarray. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep are ruled out, and so is Arshdeep Singh. Had it not been a do-or-die Test, Jasprit Bumrah would have preferred to sit out to manage his workload.
However, they have received a boost. Gill announced on Tuesday that Pant, who hurt his left index finger at Lord’s and didn’t keep after that, is fit to don the gloves. He also backed No.3 Karun Nair, who is struggling to build on starts, to come good. The one big decision left, the skipper said, is to deciding on the third pacer, between Prasidh Krishna and giving a debut to Anshul Kamboj.
India may not want to alter their gameplan, and Gill too hinted that the pitch had enough for the (pace) bowlers. In case, India want a more attacking spin option in Kuldeep Yadav, they will have to move more pieces on the board. This can upset team balance and force Gill to experiment more than he can handle in his first series. There will be some help for spinners at Old Trafford, but playing three spinners in English conditions defies logic unless it is a rank turner. And to get Kuldeep in, Washington Sundar will have to be left out. It will call for boosting the batting with Sai Sudharsan or Dhuv Jurel. It will be a tough call anyway as Washington is among the wickets and with Jadeja lends batting depth.
Bumrah factor
The rain threat through the week means the pacers could thrive in overcast conditions.
Coach Gautam Gambhir will do well to share the lessons from the last time India played at Old Trafford in 2014. In that match, India had arrived on a pleasant morning and MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat. Gambhir was the opener and when he came out to bat 30 minutes later, dark clouds hung over Old Trafford. In 5.1 overs, India’s innings lay shattered with three ducks registered among the first four batters, reducing it to 8/4. Stuart Broad picked six wickets and James Anderson three to bundle out India for 152. India lost the game by an innings inside three days.
It means such conditions aid individual brilliance if you have the quality pacer to capitalise on. In terms of individual brilliance, there’s no match for Bumrah. Among the fast bowlers in the fray, he is the only one who can be compared to an Anderson or Broad. The pace ace will hold the key for India. He has taken two five-wicket hauls in the two Tests he has played, but both in a losing cause. With the Indian bowling attack hit by the injuries, the onus is on Bumrah to provide inspiration. In helpful conditions, he can make a greater impact and will be hopeful of a decisive contribution.
With Pant set to play, India will have all their in-form batters available with KL Rahul at the top of the order and Gill at No 4. At 2-1, it looks very close now but if India don’t play the last two Tests well, it could end up as 4-1.