As of now, the conditions in Dharamsala are very English. It’s rainy and chilly, with the maximum temperature around 10 degrees Celsius. Only a few days ago, pictures of the snow-covered ground at the foothills of the Himalayas went viral on social media.
And, the weather is giving the curators at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium a hard time to prepare the pitch for the fifth Test starting on March 7. Extra moisture on the surface can give extra assistance to fast bowlers and therein lies the selection dilemma for the Indian team.
India have seldom played with three pacers in a home Test, but the conditions might force them to make a change. It is learnt that the curators are trying to make the pitch spin-friendly, a slow turner, to the liking of the home team. But overhead conditions are proving to be an impediment. There’s extra moisture on the surface and the weather might allow it to last longer. Also, grey skies are expected to assist swing, making England feel at home.
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Not that India have shortcomings in their pace bowling department. After opting out of the fourth Test in Ranchi to manage his workload, Jasprit Bumrah has returned to the fold. Along with Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, he forms a formidable attack. But India are always comfortable playing with three spinners at home and if they are to play three seamers, the omission wouldn’t be easy.
Ravichandran Ashwin is fresh from his five-for in the second innings in Ranchi and he will play his 100th Test. There is no question of dropping him. In fact, Sunil Gavaskar has urged Rohit Sharma to allow Ashwin to lead the team out on the field in Dharamsala. A fit Ravindra Jadeja is a non-negotiable presence in the XI and impact-wise, Kuldeep Yadav (12 wickets at a strike rate of 22.58) is the best spinner in the series, across both teams. If India are forced to play three seamers, then the axe might unfortunately fall on the chinaman bowler.
Dharamsala has hosted only one Test, against Australia in 2017. Kuldeep, who made his debut in that game, was the showstopper, with four wickets in the first innings. The match, however, was played in late March and a black soil pitch assisted turn. Nathan Lyon, too, had bagged a five-for. The idea is to prepare a pitch similar in nature, but the elements are making things difficult. Also, if the cold wave persists, spinners will struggle to grip the ball.
On the face of it, the fifth Test is a dead rubber, as India have already taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series. But there are World Test Championship percentage points to play for. India are currently on top of the WTC standings, with 64.58 percentage points.
The hosts will also have to take a call on whether to continue with Rajat Patidar or hand Devdutt Padikkal a debut. With KL Rahul fit, Patidar would have been released to play the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Madhya Pradesh against Vidarbha. But Rahul has been declared unfit, and Patidar is yet again in the mix, despite a tally of 63 runs in six innings at an average of 10.5 in the last three Tests. The Indian team management might be tempted to play Padikkal unless they are absolutely convinced about Patidar’s ability.
Padikkal has earned his selection by dint of his performances in domestic cricket. He scored 556 runs in four Ranji Trophy matches this season, including a 218-ball 151 against Tamil Nadu, batting at No. 3. The left-hander also scored a century and a half-century against England Lions. If he gets picked, Padikkal will have to bat at No. 4 in the Indian team, but at this level, a player is expected to make the adjustment.
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