TACTICAL PREVIEW
Follow UsSleet (noun) /slit/ : partially melted snow (or a mixture of rain and snow)
How old were you when you heard the word, sleet? Chances are that 90% of us are still processing the word that has its meaning revolving around ‘snow’. It is an unknown territory for a large chunk of the Indian audience but not for England.
“It is sleeting all day; just feels like home, nice to ease back in things,” Yorkshire’s very own Joe Root couldn’t have felt more home. England should be well-versed with cold and wet conditions, like a cold, rainy night in Stoke.
Till now, however, the entire tour has been alien to the English bowlers, and when you add the fact of facing the ‘boss-level’ Yashasvi Jaiswal, their fortunes have tumbled down. When it hasn’t been Jaiswal, the others have all taken turns punching ‘Bazball’ down the alley ultimately.
Dharamshala is all about adventures for the daring, but for something as daring as ‘Bazball’, it is all about soul-searching, especially after their first-ever series loss under the new management. It presents them an opportunity to seek further within and come up with a fitting answer.
Additionally, days before the Test, England players were seen running around the footnote to the Himalayas in a bid to land the last punch. It doesn’t end there. While the series has been weird regarding build-up, it can’t come weirder than this.
With India already having a 3-1 lead in the series, the last Test here is about celebrating people and fighting for that World Test Championship (WTC) points. Jonny Bairstow is all set to play his 100th Test, with his 100th ODI too, coming at the same venue.
On the other end is Ravichandran Ashwin, who, after a lot of soul-searching, required his instincts to kick in to flatten England’s hopes in Ranchi. It is only fitting that two of the most soul-exploring people are set to play their 100th Test together.
In a larger scheme of things, the series couldn’t have found a more picturesque venue for a finale, only fitting for the battle between two teams striving to take Test cricket's echelons higher and higher.
Things to watch out for
Can Ben Stokes finally come good?
While Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root were certainly under-performing, the latter put on a masterclass in Ranchi, where his first-innings century put England on top before their collapse in the second innings. Now, the onus is on both Bairstow and Ben Stokes.
Since the start of Bazball, Stokes has been a vital cog in England’s middle order, often bailing England out in the most cumbersome situations. In eight innings, the southpaw has only been able to score 197 runs, with a strike rate of 56. While he has soaked the pressure, he hasn’t been able to counter-punch the Indian bowling unit.
Stokes has been highly unlucky on a couple of occasions where the ball has scooted low past his bat. On some occasions, he has been undone by Jasprit Bumrah’s magic. India have peppered Stokes with a lot of spin in the series, resulting in five of his seven dismissals. There’s also a pattern, with four dismissals either bowled/lbw.
With the series already done and dusted, would it give Stokes, the batter, more freedom to come out swinging?
India need to battle the James Anderson demon
It might seem fitting that James Anderson is edging closer to 700 Test wickets in conditions that could be well overcast. No other pacer has had such endurance as the English pacer has in his illustrious career. In three Tests on this tour to India, Anderson has picked up eight wickets but, at the same time, has had to bowl 94 overs for that.
But here in Dharamshala, all eyes could be on ‘Clouderson’, who will be pleased with the historical evidence at the venue. Across the last 28 first-class innings at the venue, pacers have picked up 215 wickets, which almost accounts for 93% of all wickets.
Rohit only averages 26.5 against Anderson, with two dismissals in the series. While Jaiswal has had a wood over Anderson, he has also been undone by the experienced pacer early on in the innings. If the weather is set to be gloomy and overcast, 700 Test wickets for Anderson might be just a teaser.
Will India toy with their combination?
India have had so much success on this tour with the same combination: two pacers and three spinners. While it has worked like a charm till now, would India take the gamble of switching their winning mantra in the final game?
Why spoil a winning way, you would say? The conditions. India have largely been a side who have stuck by a winning combination in India, without altering too much. But with the series in bag and overcast conditions, they could give an extended run to Akash Deep, who looked mighty impressive in the first innings of the fourth Test in Ranchi.
In that particular spell, the Bengal pacer ran through the England top order and showed great prowess with the bat later on when required. He could well be the third in the pace troika for India in Dharamshala, but for that to happen, India have to sacrifice.
India could go two ways about that; one, they could be looking to add more depth to their bowling unit and could do away with a batter. That seems quite a risky way. The other one is to drop a spinner and pick an extra pacer, and if it comes down to that, Kuldeep Yadav might have to miss out.
Right now, India might only care about the points in front of them, but in the larger scheme of things, with an away tour to Australia around the calendar corner, could India shake things up? Can we see them play a three-man pace attack?
Ground Details and Team Combination
It is currently 12 degrees at Dharamshala, but the weather is expected to implode over the next five days. According to multiple reports, the temperature in the city is set to dip to -4 degrees Celsius. So, that could play a huge factor in the clash, where, for once, pace could be an overriding factor over spin.
Only one Test has been played at the venue, and that came way back in 2017 when India beat Australia in the final Test of the series, courtesy Kuldeep Yadav. In four innings at the venue, spinners have picked up 18 wickets, with 12 wickets for the pacers. So, has the venue changed a lot since 2017?
Across 28 innings at the first-class level, the pacers have taken a whopping 92.7% (215 wickets). The pacers average 25.6 at the venue compared to spinners (68.9).
Tactical Insights
- Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the starting XI also means he will likely continue his rivetting battle against Joe Root. It is almost like the perfect battle in the longest format, with both wanting wood over the other.
Root has been dismissed nine times by Bumrah in Tests, averaging just 28.8 against the speedster. Three of his seven dismissals in the series have been against Bumrah, with an average of just FIVE. That’s a battle to look forward to.
- With Shoaib Bashir confirmed to play, he’s likely to play a big role in disrupting the Indian middle-order, with his numbers against both Rajat Patidar and Ravindra Jadeja. The off-spinner has dismissed Jadeja twice in the series, with an average of just 0.5. That’s just one part of it. He has an incredible record against Patidar as well, with an average of 5.
Playing XIs
India
With Jasprit Bumrah returning, India will make that one change, but it remains to be seen who will make their way out for the speedster. On the batting side, India aren’t expected to make any changes, with Rajat Patidar expected to retain his place in the XI, barring any last-minute movements.
Rohit Sharma ( c ), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep/Jasprit Bumrah
England
England didn’t waste too much time, announcing that Mark Wood would replace Ollie Robinson, who might not be fit. He didn’t bowl a lot in the Ranchi Test as well. Barring that, no changes in England’s XI.
Confirmed XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes ( c ), Ben Foakes (wk), Tom Hartley, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood
