Rohit Sharma was not sure of a place in the playing XI in the last match of the England Test series despite being the best batsman due to Covid concerns. This time he was the captain of the team but his struggle with fitness did not spare him again this week. Jasprit Bumrah will make his debut as India’s 36th Test captain. Incidentally, Bumrah was also not sure of playing the last Test in 2021 along with Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Siraj. Both the bowlers are now going to be an important part of this team.
It will be interesting to see if luck will favor Ravichandran Ashwin, who was inexplicably dropped from every match of the series last year under Virat Kohli’s captaincy but can replace Shardul Thakur as an all-rounder.
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Birmingham is expected to remain cloudy and still the pitch is likely to be belter according to local observers. However, without a definitive pair of openers for a very important game, England’s fast bowlers know that the new ball will be a major challenge for the Indian team which has been without any first-class play for almost three months in this Test. Coming to the match. And, the hosts are going into this Test with a thumping 3-0 win. World Test champion New Zealand.
“It is never good when you are missing your best player. Obviously Rohit is a world class player and I mean it is always difficult but he has better batsmen (in the squad). Yes, we know whoever replaces him (Rohit) will be a high quality player and we have to be prepared for that,” James Anderson asked this writer exclusively if it would be a big advantage for England. is when he was talking to a selected group of journalists from England.
Shubman Gill has shown in Australia that he can rise to demanding opportunities and his potential teammate at the top could be veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, who may get his last chance to ensure his entry into the 100 Test club this year. Pujara has looked very comfortable in both the days of nets practice and coach Rahul Dravid has rated him highly. The hosts are also aware that county cricket’s 700-plus runs in just five matches this summer for Sussex are not to be taken lightly, even if their batting numbers in Test cricket over the years have not been breathtaking. Are.
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Anderson was just leaving for his net practice session and this reporter couldn’t resist asking another question whether his team’s prospects are better as any opener at the Edgbaston Test will not be a regular or experienced opener. “It’s not ideal. You always want experienced guys but it’s also an opportunity for guys who have (Indian) team and we can’t control that and have to be ready for whoever plays,” England’s highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
And yet, this match is not just about the Indian openers. It is also about India’s new ball openers. One of them, Bumrah going to captain which is a first in many ways. Kapil Dev was the last fast bowler to captain India in a Test but he was an all-rounder unlike Bumrah who is a pure fast bowler. Even though the Gujarat pacer was officially declared the captain on Thursday, his body language with his teammates in the past two days was that of the captain. The way he was interacting with coach Dravid and his interactions with senior players clearly indicated that he was up for this news challenge in his illustrious career so far.
The fact that Bumrah was considered ahead of Rishabh Pant (who was being touted as India’s future captain long months ago) also tells a story. Ever since he made his debut for the Gujarat Ranji team, Bumrah’s progress across formats in the IPL (for Mumbai Indians) or the Indian team has been a confident one, defying all stereotypes. From an unconventional run-up to an unusual action for a fast bowler, Bumrah has proved that there is always a unique way of doing things differently. Can he do the same as Test captain?
If Bumrah can play a motivating role in the next five days at Birmingham, who knows if the transition from a casual captain to a regular captain in the red-ball game could be as smooth as from white-ball to red-ball. He has changed as a bowler. draft.
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