Mohammad Shami bowling during a practice session. | Photo credit: ANI
India’s senior-most speedster Mohammad Shami is expected to be in the playing XI for the final Test against Australia in Ahmedabad, starting on March 9 after a rest to manage workload during the Indore game.
The Indian team management has decided to accommodate the fast bowlers, who are going to play regularly in the IPL and are part of the ODI World Cup plans, after consulting with the medical staff.
Hence, Shami, who played the first two Tests and is also part of the ODI squad, was rested for the third match. In his place, Umesh Yadav was drafted as the second fast bowler after Mohammad Siraj.
Siraj required just 24 overs in the first three games and is likely to feature in all three ODIs between March 17 and 22, likely to get some time during the final game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. .
Shami, who has been the best pacer in both teams with seven scalps in 30-odd overs, will need Motera on a dry surface, which could be conducive to reverse swing.
India currently lead the four-Test series 2-1 but need to win the final match to overturn Sri Lanka’s away series result against New Zealand.
The GCA curators have not received any instructions from Team India.
Indore’s Holkar Stadium has already been banned by ICC match referee Chris Broad for developing a “bad” track, and now the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) will risk its reputation by making any such monstrous preparations. Not likely to get a red eye from the game. governing body.
“We have not received any instructions from the Indian team management and our local curators are preparing a normal track as we have always done in the season,” a state association source told PTI.
“In fact, in the last Ranji game here in January, Railways scored 500-plus (508) batting first and Gujarat, though losing the innings, scored 200-plus in both innings. This time It won’t be much different,” he said.
There are still 96 hours left for the Test match and nobody knows what will happen once BCCI curators Taposh Chatterjee and Ashish Bhowmick take over.
“Obviously, in the last few days, BCCI’s Grounds and Pitches Committee has instructed the local curator. But definitely, our effort is to prepare a good Test match pitch,” the official said.
The last time two Test matches were held in Ahmedabad during the COVID-19 pandemic, the day/night match was over in just two days.
He added, “You have to consider that the Day/Night Test and the first Test after that were held after the renovation of the stadium and you had no idea how to pan the pitch. will be out.”
Kohli and his wife visited the Mahakaleshwar temple.
With the Test match over in less than two-and-a-half days, star batsman Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma visited the Shri Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain on Saturday morning to offer pooja.
While some players have stayed back in Indore, some, including captain Rohit Sharma, have returned to Mumbai and will join the team in Ahmedabad on March 6.
