India's Test specialists need to do the heavy lifting during England series

Ajit Vijaykumar 09:15 31/07/2018
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  • Murali Vijay (l) and Ishant Sharma.

    It seems obvious. Test match specialists need to perform whenever they get a chance as there are only so many five-day matches in a year. Miss your chance and you many have to wait months before your next shot at redemption.

    But the situation the current Indian team finds itself in means Test specialists in the side simply have to pull their weight as quite a few all-format stars are either injured or struggling for form.

    India are sweating over the fitness of all-format pace spearheads Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the first Test against England.

    Their respective back and finger injuries are a lot more serious than previously thought or revealed. White-ball star Shikhar Dhawan bagged a pair in the warm-up match against Essex.

    Virat Kohli has scored more than 20 in all innings so far in England during this tour but his woeful run in Tests in 2014 where he averaged less than 14 will be at the back of his mind.

    Regular wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha is injured which means limited overs specialist Dinesh Karthik will wear the gloves.

    Which leaves us with the a bunch of players who are now Test specialists. Starting at the top, opener Murali Vijay looks like the one player who can be backed to occupy the crease for a considerable period. His fifty in the warm-up match was a relief to the management as Dhawan and Cheteshwar Pujara failed.

    Ajinkya Rahane, a Test batsman for now after failed attempts to integrate him in the ODI team, has even more responsibility on his shoulders as he tries to ease the pressure on Kohli.

    THE BOWLERS

    The bowling department is where it gets tricky. With Bhuvi and Bumrah uncertain, it’s Ishant Sharma who leads the pace attack with Mohammed Shami as the next best option irrespective of conditions. Both are now limited to five day cricket.

    Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was so devastating in one T20 and one ODI against England that he forced his way onto the Test set-up. But rationally speaking, Test veteran Ravi Ashwin – with more 300 scalps under his belt plus four Test tons – remains streets ahead of Kuldeep in red ball cricket.

    The weather in England is dry this time, which means spin will be a factor and Ashwin’s experience in such conditions will be invaluable.

    Sure, players like KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Umesh Yadav can play a big role – depending on the opportunities they get – but the India management will be hoping for the Test regulars to do what they do best and allow the more flamboyant all-format players to provide the impact.

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