rightAjkot, the venue for the third Test between India and England, is situated on the T-Shirt Sleeve peninsula on India’s west coast. Compared to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, it has been less used on the cricket circuit and has hosted only two Tests, totaling nine centuries. The ballpark there is not known as “butter” without return.
All of which is very much to the taste of Rajkot’s (and Hough’s) favorite son, Cheteshwar Pujara, a fellow coach with India coach Rahul Dravid. Dravid’s awesome running machine carved into the same granite. The 36-year-old Pujara, who joined Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid and Sunil Gavaskar in the Indian pantheon after scoring 20,000 first-class runs in the Ranji Trophy in January, achieved a first-class score on Friday. But despite former head coach Anil Kumble’s complaints, a recall does not appear to be a possibility. India, like England, are keen on getting youngsters Tumbola tickets.
After a period of rest, Pujara’s No. 3 substitute Shubman Gill looked to have secured himself a place in the series with a valuable 104 in the second innings in Vizag position, which allowed India to escape an easy chase from England’s chasers. But if Pujara is no longer in the dressing room, Dravid will hope that some of his personal qualities remain, as Virat Kohli once said: “Pujara taught us patience. ” This is a priceless quality when facing Buzz Ball.
With Pujara and Kohli out for the remainder of the series, India’s strong batting line-up still looks a little underpowered – although Rohit Sharma is yet to give his all, while KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja looks likely to return after missing the second Test, injury permitting. The new batsmen should be thankful that they don’t face the same rampant special batsmen as England did in 2021.
The Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot was built only in 2009. Filled with bucket seats, large enough to seat 28,000 spectators and equipped with solar panels, the modern stadium is a two-hour walk from the city. England’s previous Test there – effectively the first to be held at the stadium – was the first of a nightmare five-Test tour in 2016-17. The pitch was a batting paradise, with six walking centuries seamed and folded (Pujara second fastest, Ben Stokes second slowest). Captain Alastair Cook’s 130 in the second innings set up a conservative chase that India won by over six runs.
England pushed hard, their spin trio of Zafar Ansari, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid left in the dust, and the phalanx finally came crashing down, but eventually they ran out of time. This was their only chance to snatch victory and the series quickly disappeared, followed by the One-Day Series and the Twenty20 Series.
It seems unlikely that Stokes’ England will trail India by six runs away from home, although he hopes he can achieve that chase in his 100th Test match. He wasn’t the only one to have a milestone. Ravichandran Ashwin, still looking for his 500th wicket, seemed to be in Vizag ( Vizag) pocketed it but England had a review and the third umpire spoiled the party. While Jimmy Anderson is in top form, just five Test wickets away from his 700th Test ball, Shane Warne’s 708th ball is within sight.
Whether he will be given a fast bowling replacement in Mark Wood or the overworked Ollie Robinson for the third Test depends on what the pitch doctor reveals later this week. A slightly annoyed Dravid also kept his cards close to his chest. “Curators make the pitch. We don’t ask for rank flippers.
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“Obviously, India’s orbit will spin, how much, how much… I’m not an expert. Sometimes I’m told they open on the third day, but they open on the first day. Sometimes I’m told they open on the third day. It will open on the second day but not until the fourth. So sometimes I am as clueless as anyone else. We will focus on the wickets and try to do the best with what we have been given.”
Can England move from “butter“Til Thursday, there was still a tantalizing smell in the air. Then the golf clubs were put back in the cupboard for two back-to-back Tests in Rajkot and Ranchi, with the final one being played in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Only then will we know if Stokes can join Cook, Douglas Jardine, Tony Greig and David Gower as Test captain to win the series in India, ending more than 11 years at home. A record of not losing a Test series.
