Mumbai: There was seam movement at both Edgbaston and Cardiff, in the first two ODIs, and there also has been bounce on offer for the pacers. India captain, Shubman Gill, however is in the kind of touch that conditions don’t apply to him.
In the first ODI, he batted like a dream, timing the ball beautifully on way to a sublime 80 before retiring due to cramp. He batted with the same rhythm in the second game at Cardiff before being caught off an uppish drive for a sweet 30-ball 31. India lost that game and thus go into Sunday’s final game against England with the series 1-1.
Watching Gill bat in this series, cricket connoisseurs will be reminded of his opening partner, Rohit Sharma, in his prime. When on song, Rohit’s batting is also a thing of beauty. The timing and effortless stroke play holds the same aesthetic appeal as Gill’s has in this series.
Rohit loves batting in England as the numbers show – 1465 runs in 29 matches with seven hundreds. His average of 61.04 in the UK is better than at home or in any other Test nation.
As he gears up for third ODI, the circumstances are different from all the past series he has played in UK, since his first 50-over game there in June, 2013. At 39, he is at the fag end of an illustrious career and the team management is not fully convinced about his choice for the World Cup late in 2007.
Though the BCCI’s open backing has thrown a lifeline to the batter, there will be no escaping the scrutiny of form and fitness when he takes guard at Lord’s. With scores of 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs, he surely has his task cut out. From here on it is going to be by the innings.
However, the Lord’s game also presents a perfect opportunity. If Rohit can turn back the clock and play a substantial knock it will be a big boost in making a case for World Cup selection. The selectors have laid extra importance on this series because the pace-friendly conditions is a perfect test for playing in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the joint World Cup hosts.
The Rohit question came up in the pre-game press conference of India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Saturday. The former South Africa fast bowler insisted there were “no concerns” over the opener’s form.
“Rohit, as I said earlier, it is hard work with a new ball up front. We have seen that in the entire series. The ball is moving around. So, batting up front is not easy. No doubt Rohit will work it out. He has done it in the past. He is experienced. And he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So, without a doubt, no worries and concerns at all with the way he is going about things,” he said.
For a player searching for runs to regain confidence, the seam-friendly Lord’s surface is not an ideal place. Rohit himself hasn’t had success in his two ODIs there (15 in 2018, 0 in 2022). To make it count, he must be mentally prepared for tough runs.
However, there has been no issue for India’s other seasoned batter, Virat Kohli. The ODI legend warmed up for the game with a fluent 66-ball 65 at Sophia Gardens. India will also be banking on their new T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer, who got runs in both the games with 66 at Cardiff and 35 at Edgbaston.
India’s biggest strength has been their batting depth. It was to the fore in the first ODI where Axar Patel and Washington Sundar took the game away from England with unbeaten half-centuries. Sundar’s hamstring injury suffered in Cardiff is a setback. KL Rahul though is likely to return after recovering from illness.
The challenge for the Indian bowlers will be to stop England’s premier batter, Joe Root. The batting great has scored back-to-back half-centuries without being dismissed in the series.
Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey has been added to the squad as Sundar’s replacement, but Kuldeep Yadav’s attacking spin may be a better weapon against Root and Co.
The pace unit led by Jasprit Bumrah with support from Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar have exploited the conditions well and will have a big role to play if India are to win the series.