Indian team during practice session at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, in Dharamsala on Tuesday.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Dharamsala: "Sometimes even when you are playing in India, it looks like an away game for you," R Ashwin said on Tuesday while describing the conditions here ahead of the fifth and final Test against England.
The HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, with perhaps the most breathtaking background, will be hosting only its second Test match after holding a match against Australia in 2017 when India completed a 2-1 series win in one of the most evenly contested series.
The 3-1 series score-line against England may not exactly portray the true quality of the contest that has been on show over the last one and half months but the visitors may truly fancy their chances of narrowing the gap in conditions that are closer home.
Remember, in the era of World Test Championship, there's nothing called dead rubber for each match carries crucial points in the run-up to the biennial WTC finale. Besides, it's a rare occasion when two players from either side -- Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow -- will be appearing in their 100th Test.
Though the only Test played here had wickets spread almost evenly between pacers and spinners, the prevailing overhead conditions are likely to tilt the balance in favour of the quick bowlers.
So after a traditional combination of three spinners plus one or two pacers, India are contemplating fielding an extra pacer with skipper Rohit Sharma dropping hints at forming such an attack. It's not just the sub-10 degree temperature that is influencing team's strategies but the encouraging bounce and carry as well. England are set to bring back the express fast Mark Wood in place of Ollie Robinson, who played the Ranchi Test, to share the new ball with James Anderson as skipper Ben Stokes felt Wood's extra pace will be more suitable for the pitch here.
There's also a cloud of uncertainty over Shoaib Bashir's availability as the off-spinner is down with an upset stomach and skipped Wednesday's practice.
India's attack will be bolstered by the return of Jasprit Bumrah, arguably the most influential figure in tipping the series towards India with some of the finest fast bowling spells witnessed in this part of the world. The way he opened up the second Test with a six-wicket haul with England threatening to bat India out of the game effectively shaped the progress of the rubber.
No one enjoys overcast conditions more than Mohammed Siraj, who is at his menacing best when there is swing to be exploited with the new ball. The third seamer, if India want to have that option, would automatically be Akash Deep, who was right on the money in his debut in Ranchi.
There's, however, an interesting twist. The only three Indian players who have played the lone Test here are the three spinners that have been integral to India's attack in the last three games - Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. While Jadeja was the player of the match for his all-round show, Kuldeep, the debutant, broke the back of Australia's middle-order with a four-wicket haul after ending the 134-run stand for the second wicket between David Warner and Steve Smith.
India will certainly ponder over these factors before finalising their 11 on Thursday.
The batting unit has been a revelation with different batters coming to the party at various occasions. Barring Rajat Patidar, whose fate would be decided on Thursday, the young guns have put their hands up and delivered.
While Yashasvi Jaiswal has taken his game to whole different level, debutants Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel have shown enough promise of a great future in the middle-order. Shubman Gill has come into his own as the series has progressed, effectively off-setting the absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul.
Team (from, INDIA): Rohit Sharma (captain), Jasprit Bumrah (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
ENGLAND (likely): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (captain), Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Shoaib Bashir.