After a full-fledged practice on Thursday, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli decided to skip the India practice session on Friday in Lucknow ahead of IND vs ENG match. With Hardik Pandya out for longer than expected, India have had to rely on five bowlers. And as India aim to add Ravichandran Ashwin to the mix, the focus was on giving tail-enders a longer time with the bat at the nets before India vs England Cricket World Cup game on Sunday.
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Focus on tail-enders
As India prepare for days without Hardik Pandya, tail-enders got an extended session in Lucknow.
After bowling at the nets, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav had a long batting session.
Jasprit Bumrah was among the absentees on Friday.
Ashwin had an extensive batting session during the practice before moving to his bowling duties. With Ekana pitch expected to favor spinners, the move will align with India’s strategy against England. If Ashwin gets the green signal, he may take the place of either Mohammed Shami or Mohammed Siraj. But Ashwin also took a break from practice on Friday.
The decision to bring in Ravichandran Ashwin could be a challenging one for the team management. However, after England’s loss to Sri Lanka by eight wickets at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, India might seriously consider such a change.
A confident Men In Blue didn’t appear to miss Hardik Pandya during the match against New Zealand, as they introduced Suryakumar Yadav and Shami. Shami’s impressive five-wicket haul against New Zealand makes it difficult for the team management to bench him, even though Suryakumar got run out without making a significant contribution.
The team management has a bowling all-rounder option in Shardul Thakur, but he has not not lived up to the expectations and leaked runs. There are two days remaining before the match, giving the hosts sufficient time to determine the team’s makeup. The practice session today for the India vs England match might provide some insight into this matter.
