Kolkata: Team India may have sealed the issue with four bowlers in the first cricket Test in Kanpur but going by early indications here Amit Mishra is likely to get a call in the playing XI in the second Test match as the leg-spinner was seen slogging with both ball and bat during the practice session, here Wednesday
India head coach Anil Kumble, himself a leg-spin legend, had underlined the importance of playing five bowlers and was seen involved in a long chat with former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, now the head of CAB.
The duo saw the wicket and spoke to curator Sujan Mukherjee as Mishra kept bowling to captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in Wednesday’s optional session.
Rohit is back at his favourite venue where he had scored his ODI world record of 264 and also a Test debut century against the West Indies a couple of years back.
Kumble hinted that the Mumbaikar may retain his place, which means injured KL Rahul’s replacement Gautam Gambhir may have to wait for his Test return after a gap of two years. Gambhir did not attend the session as he joined the team only in the evening.
If Mishra is included, then India might as well stick to the remaining players with either Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit opening the innings with Murali Vijay.
As for the pitch, which has mostly remained under cover, it may not turn straightway from day one. So India may feel the need for a third spinning option, something that was evident from Mishra’s body language during the training session.
press trust of india
