Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan wants the pitch for the upcoming third Test between India and England in Rajkot to be similar to the first two Tests of the ongoing five-match Test series. Zaheer Khan emphasized on the fact that productive pitches will keep the Test cricket alive in the ever changing landscape of cricket.
In Hyderabad and Vizag, the pitches were fair to all be it the batters, fast bowlers, or the spinners. As the third Test is set to get underway on February 15 in Rajkot, Zaheer advocated for a fair pitch at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The 2011 World Cup winner Zaheer Khan suggested that Team India should avoid the temptation to prepare a heavily spin-favored pitch in Rajkot, as the sporting pitches have produced exciting and balanced contests so far.
So far in the Test series, star players like Yashaswi Jaiswal, Ollie Pope, and Shubman Gill have shown that runs can be scored with patience and skill. Even England’s debutant spinner, Tom Hartley, brilliantly performed despite the pitch being not very spin-friendly. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah has been exceptional in Vizag, delivering one of his career’s best performances against England despite the fact that the conditions weren’t favorable for fast bowlers.
Zaheer Khan on Indian speed sensation Jasprit Bumrah
Former India pacer Zaheer Khan predicted the Rajkot pitch for the 3rd Test match between India and England would be similar to what was witnessed in Hyderabad and Vizag. Zaheer predicted reverse swing would aid pacers on the Rajkot pitch, which would offer a great contest between the bat and the ball.
Also Zaheer Khan feels that Jasprit Bumrah would have a key role when the ball will start reversing on the pitch in Rajkot. Jasprit Bumrah was India’s star player during the 2nd Test match at Vizag. On Day 2 of the Test, when the pitch was doing nothing for the pacers, Bumrah wreaked havoc with his reverse swing bowling.
The England batters were left clueless against the speedsters as they were bundled out for 255. Bumrah picked up 6/45, which is the best figure by an Indian pacer at home. The limelight of Bumrah’s spell was the toe-crushing yorker to Ollie Pope, who saw the leg stump and the middle stump cart-wheeling. Bumrah won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his overall match figures of 9/81.
After an Indian pacer’s heroics on a subcontinent track, England also named 2 pacers in their playing XI for the 3rd Test. The Ben Stokes-led side chose Mark Wood along with the veteran pacer James Anderson, along with 3 spinners.
Zaheer khan believes that the Rajkot pitch would be an even surface for both the batters and bowlers
Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan is hoping that the Rajkot track for the third Test between India and England will be similar to the pitches from the first two games. The first Test at Hyderabad produced an equally contested thriller between bat and ball, with England emerging victorious by 28 runs. Team India bounced back in the following game at Vizag on another sporting wicket to win by 106 runs and level the series.
Speaking to Jio Cinema ahead of the all-important third Test, Zaheer was hopeful that Rajkot will produce a similar wicket to Hyderabad and Vizag.
“I hope the pitch is on similar lines to the one in Hyderabad and Vizag. On that kind of a surface, we should be able to see a good contest between bat and ball for the first two days and spin comes into play on the third day. You’ll see some reverse swing as well. And on the fourth and fifth days, you’ll have the spinners dominating. If that is the pattern, it will make for a nice viewing experience for all the spectators and the fans will enjoy,” said Zaheer Khan.
Former England batter Owais Shah echoed Zaheer’s sentiments and felt the match-up between Jasprit Bumrah and the English middle-order will hold the key to the outcome.
“The big match-up will be between Jasprit Bumrah and England’s middle-order. That’s because Bumrah will be able to generate reverse swing in Rajkot. When he bowls with the old ball, it becomes difficult for the England batters. That’s because he’s getting wickets and not giving away runs,” said Shah.
In the two Tests thus far, Bumrah has made the old ball talk with his ability to reverse-swing the cherry in both directions. The 30-year-old is the series’ leading wicket-taker, with 15 scalps at an incredible average of under 11. With the possibility of Rajkot assisting reverse-swing, England have included a second seamer in Mark Wood instead of off-spinner Shoaib Bashir for the third Test.
Zaheer Khan on Indian Team ahead of 3rd test in Rajkot
Zaheer Khan felt the inclusion of Ravindra Jadeja has created another headache for the think tank to finalize the bowling attack for the third Test.
After missing the second Test with a hamstring injury, the left-arm spinner will walk into the playing XI at Rajkot if fully fit. It leaves India with the difficult decision of benching one of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, or Mohammed Siraj.
“That’s another headache once you have picked the squad! Whether it’s going to be Axar (Patel), whether it’s going to be Kuldeep (Yadav) or you are going to pick all of them. This is something India will be thinking about, whether you need that extra bowler along with Jasprit (Bumrah). It will also depend on how the pitch is going to play, so some complex decision-making will be involved,” said Zaheer.
Kuldeep came in for Jadeja in the second Test and was India’s best spinner with four wickets. Yet, Axar has added tremendous value with his all-round abilities, making it hard to drop him. Thus, it increases the possibility of India playing all four spinners and Bumrah as the lone pacer.
With the test series drawn level 1-1 at Midpoint, the third test would be an enthralling watch for sure for the spectators as both the teams would try to go one up to the 4th test with an advantage over other.