Ind vs Eng 3rd Test: India opt for extra spinner; visitors stick to four pacer option- With Washington Sundar, India opted to go with an extra spinner in the 3rd Test between India and England that is a Day/Night pink-ball affair at the Sardar Patel stadium in Ahmedabad. Going into the match, both teams had kept their Playing XI a closely guarded secret. Keeping the Day/Night conditions in mind, an extra pacer was a lot that was discussed but on Wednesday, both teams played to their strengths.
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While both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli said the Motera wicket could offer assistance to spinners, neither ruled out a third pacer option. As for the visitors, they too did not discuss a lot about their combinations, leaving it for the final assessment of the pitch. Although seamers have been successful in Day/Night Tests, with no 6-mm grass on Motera track like the Eden Gardens pitch where Indian pacers outplayed Bangladesh, Kohli decided to go with an extra spinner who could provide batting depth.
As for the visitors, they chose to stick to their tried and tested three-pacer option with James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer besides the only specialist spinner in Jack Leach.
Extra spinner
With the World Test Championship final at stake, India played to its strength, adding an extra spinner in the playing XI with the pitch expected to assist the spinners from the second day. Here, losing the toss might not become a factor for the hosts as, despite the challenges of batting the fourth innings, Indian batters won’t have to face a specialist English spinner who could have taken advantage of the pitch on the final two days of the match.
In Sundar, India will have a spinner, who did not have much success with the ball against England in the first Test. Despite suitable conditions, the Tamil Nadu youngster returned with just a wicket for 98 runs. But he spent a lot of time bowling with the pink ball in Chennai nets before travelling to Ahmedabad and a finger spinner like him could come in handy. In addition, his batting abilities could be a blessing as India will bat in the fourth innings.
As for England, they have made a huge gamble, opting to go with three pacers and not bowling first as any little assistance for seamers early on will diminish as the match goes. In Dominic Sibley could provide cover for an extra spinner, he is no go-getter. Instead, skipper Joe Root will have to take extra responsibility in bowling as it would be a huge task for the four pacers including Ben Stokes at Motera.
