Ahead of the third Test match in Rajkot, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan had predicted that the pitch for the game will be similar to the preceding ones in Hyderabad and Vizag, thus opening the floodgates for Jasprit Bumrah to unleash his reverse swing against the England batters.
With Ravichandran Ashwin having pulled out of the game due to a family emergency, the onus now rests on Bumrah to stop the batting onslaught of the visitors. Will Bumrah stand tall on Zaheer's expectations and deliver the magic yet again with the ball, as he did to turn the game around back in Vizag?
💥 goes Bumrah, this time with the BAT 🤩#INDvENG #JioCinemaSports #BazBowled #IDFCFirstBankTestSerie pic.twitter.com/zq1VB1vmZw
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) February 16, 2024
"I hope the pitch is on similar lines to the one in Hyderabad and Vizag," Zaheer told JioCinema. "On that kind of a surface, we should be able to see a good contest between bat and ball for the first two days and spin comes into play on the third day.
"You'll see some reverse swing as well. And on the fourth and fifth days, you'll have the spinners dominating. "If that is the pattern, it will make for a nice viewing experience for all the spectators and the fans will enjoy."
Plenty of chatter around making a special provision for #Ashwin to be replaced in the playing XI for the remainder of the #RajkotTest. Making an allowance of this kind could set a bad precedent leading to possible misuse of such provisions in future #INDvsENG
— Prabhanjan Badami (@PABadami) February 16, 2024
Former England batter Owais Shah could not agree more.
"The big match-up will be between Jasprit Bumrah and England's middle-order. That's because Bumrah will be able to generate reverse swing in Rajkot," Owais said. "When he bowls with the old ball, it becomes difficult for the England batters. That's because he's getting wickets and not giving away runs."
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An inexperienced Indian batting unit put up 445 on the board in the first innings, but the English team responded strongly with opener Ben Duckett leading the way with a swashbuckling unbeaten ton to get in a pole position at the resumption of proceedings on the third day. Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj picked up a wicket each for the Men in Blue.
(With PTI inputs)
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