After two consecutive victories, India Cricket Team are in a tough spot in IND vs ENG Ranchi Test. Neither their bowling ticked and not their batting either. On a pitch where Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin struggled, a rookie spinner Shoaib Bashir has exposed Indian batters’ woes in absence of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in the middle order. But ahead of Day 3, not all hope is lost.
India ended Day 2 at 219/7, 134 runs behind visitors England. Dhruv Jurel (30) and Kuldeep Yadav (17) are still on the crease.
How can India bounce back in IND vs ENG Ranchi Test?
Dhruv Jurel gets support
The rookie Test batter needs Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep to be there at the opposite end. Jurel can play quick shots even on such surfaces where the bounce is uneven.
At the moment, taking a lead looks far-fetched. Rather the target must be to be within 50 runs. India need another 70-80 runs and the bulk of scoring has to come from Dhruv Jurel.
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India need Ashwin, the bowler
12 wickets in 7 innings at an average of 38.83 — Ravichandran Ashwin hasn’t been great in the IND vs ENG series. To have any chance of an India comeback, India need Ashwin back, turning and tweaking to bamboozle England batters.
So far, Ashwin has given too much respect to England’s aggressive style and that needs to change. With England certain to take a lead in Ranchi, India need to bowl England out within 200 runs to chase down a target of below 250. And owner of 500 Test wickets plays a big role.
Rohit Sharma’s form crucial
The Indian captain must stand tall with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli absent. Barring the century in Rajkot, Rohit has looked an ordinary batter against a rookie England attack. But to seal the IND vs ENG series, Rohit has to support Yashasvi Jaiswal as much as possible to chase down whatever target England set.
And not just the batter, India need Rohit Sharma, the captain as well. He underbowled Kuldeep Yadav in the first innings even as Ashwin struggled. Kuldeep needs to bowl more on a pitch which has uneven bounce.
