Mumbai: Wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha is yet to recover from the injury he suffered on the thigh muscle of his left leg at Vizag and will also miss the fourth Test starting here December 9 at the Wankhede Stadium. However, opener KL Rahul is available and in all probability will be included in the playing XI in place of Karun Nair.
With Saha still undergoing treatment at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, his replacement for the Mohali game, Parthiv Patel will once more don the responsibility of standing behind the stumps. However, in spite of getting two good scores at the top of the order, Patel will have to go down the batting order as Rahul will open the innings with Murali Vijay.
Sources close to the BCCI stated that Saha, who has been a regular in the Test team for the last couple of years, could miss the rest of the series as he will take a minimum of three weeks to recover. Moreover, Saha will have to play a domestic game to prove his fitness and with Bengal (Saha’s home state) not having any engagement after December 15, it looks highly unlikely that the glovesman will take any further part in the Test series against England.
Even though, there is no chance of any major changes in the side, the form of Ajinkya Rahane in the ongoing series is turning into a cause for concern for the team management as well as the selectors. In the three Tests that India have played against England, the Mumbaikar’s sequence of scores has been 13, 1, 23, 26 and zero. With skipper Virat Kohli keen to continue with the five batsman-five bowler theory, Rahane’s poor form has severely affected the team game plan.
The lower-order has contributed to India’s cause, but both selectors and the team think tank are of the opinion that it would be unfair to expect the likes of Jayant Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja deliver the goods with the bat in every game.
The Indian players who had been given a three-day break after the Mohali Test arrived in batches here Monday. They will be back at the nets Tuesday, sans Ishant Sharma who has been given leave due to his marriage December 9. The selectors, however, will not name any replacement for him.
Meanwhile most of Alastair Cook’s men, who are relaxing in Dubai, are expected to arrive here Tuesday. The Wankhede has been a happy hunting ground for Cook and he would want his fortunes to change for the better when he leads his side on to the ground. The last time England played here in 2012, they won by 10 wickets with Cook getting a hundred and spin twins Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar causing India’s downfall.
However, this time around Cook’s batting form has been anything but inspiring. To compound his woes, there are still doubts about Stuart Broad’s fitness while Haseeb Hameed has returned to England with a broken finger and has been replaced with Durham opener Keaton Jennings who is expected to partner Cook. But Jennings will be playing the Test without getting the chance to adapt to Indian conditions.
Overall, not the ideal situation for England to construe a fightback. It is advantage India and will remain so when both captains will walk out for the toss, Friday.
Agencies
