LONDON: As Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak got into their usual huddle next to the main pitch, their eyes were trained on Dhruv Jurel batting in the nets at the far end of the same square. Chief curator Lee Fortis, still getting over the heated exchange with Gambhir on Tuesday, walked up and asked them to move a few yards to the other side of the pitch. The trio agreed and got on with their discussion.
The playing XI for Thursday will revolve around how much the team management believes in Jurel’s batting skills. Rishabh Pant’s stellar record as a wicketkeeper batting at No. 5 offered the management liberties to play around with the combination.
The biggest advantage with Pant at No. 5 has been the luxury to field an extra bowler or allrounder as per the team’s needs.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Shardul Thakur, whose bowling capabilities were largely ignored by captain Shubman Gill, is the only seam-bowling allrounder option available. Gill’s reluctance to give him the ball in Manchester was jarring. It restarted the debate around the need to bring in specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has been sidelined in the series because of his inferior batting skills.
Batting depth, however, is something that comforts the management and that is likely to help Thakur get another game.
Pant’s absence could again work against Kuldeep at the Oval. On Tuesday, Jurel batted for a long period but struggled a lot in the nets. Kotak had mentioned on Tuesday that the team was not worried about Jurel’s wicketkeeping since he has kept in the last two Tests because of Pant’s injuries.
It will be interesting to see if Washington Sundar is persisted with at No. 5 after his matchsaving hundred in Manchester last Sunday. Washington was drafted into the side in the second Test because of his ability to bat at No. 8. If he goes up the order, the No. 8 spot will remain a concern. Gill and Gambhir will have to take a call if they want the allrounders to start batting from No. 5 itself or if they want to give Karun Nair another go in the middle order.
Arshdeep asked to be ready
Arshdeep asked to be ready
Gill remained tight-lipped on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability. However, Bumrah just did his warm-ups, went through some fielding drills and retired to the dressing room. “We are going to take a decision tomorrow (Thursday). The pitch looks pretty green. So, we will see how it turns out,” was Gill’s succinct response to a query on Bumrah. “Arshdeep has definitely been asked to get ready. Like I said, we are going to take a decision later this evening. We have to see how the weather is going to be in the next five days,” Gill said.
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