Dharamsala was nice and sunny when the two teams trained for one last time before the fifth and final Test of the series. There was soothing warmth in the air and a couple of layers of clothing were comfortable to survive the day. Unlike the previous two days, there wasn’t that chill in the air in the morning hours and there weren’t any clouds playing hide and seek with the sun.
There was a lot of chatter in the region about rain on the opening day of the Test, but the forecast has turned out to be very encouraging. Locals reckon it’s the formation of a high-pressure zone near the Dhauladhar range which is likely to keep rain clouds at bay on Thursday. Again, it’s just likely and there are no guarantees when it comes to weather in the hills.
Both India and England are aware of the conditions which they are likely to encounter in the Test and have already made their plans. While England stuck to their two-spinner, two-seamer strategy, India are keeping their options open. When asked about the option of playing an extra seamer, Rohit didn’t reveal much but said, “There’s a good chance”.
“Surely, why not? If we feel the weather is going to be like this, there’s a good chance. We’ve not yet completely decided on it, but there’s a good chance, definitely,” said the skipper on the eve of the match.
While the conditions are close to home for England, the pitch continues to wear the typical Indian look. The brownish surface looks very flat from some distance and Ben Stokes feels it is an absolute “belter”. Like Rohit, even Stokes was thinking of playing an extra seamer but the look of the pitch changed his mind.
“Before we even got here, we were thinking of three seamers and one spinner. But turning up yesterday (Tuesday) and seeing the wicket and seeing it again today, going with two seamers and two spinners is probably the right call. We thought there would be a bit more grass on the wicket just because of where we are, but overall, the wicket looks like a belter. So, two seamers and two spinners give us a good mixture when you are a little bit unsure about what it (pitch) could do as the Test match goes on. We are confident with the team we are going with,” said Stokes.
Rohit, who has seen the pitch closely for two days now, feels it will be the typical Indian pitch which will have something for both spinners and seamers during different periods of play.
“I expect it is going to be a typical Indian pitch or Indian condition kind of a Test match where there is some movement at the start of the innings and in the back end, it may slightly drop (bounce) and in the middle phase there will be some spin I guess. Or may not, I don’t know,” says Rohit.
The conditions are tempting to field an extra seamer but the look of the surface suggests the same bowling combination wouldn’t be a bad option for hosts on this “typical Indian pitch”.
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