The Adelaide defeat has landed India in a spot of bother. Head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma now have to get back to the drawing board to get their plans right for the third Test in Brisbane. Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar advised India to be careful of the decision-making in terms of making changes to the playing XI for the next match.
The Indian pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Harshit Rana, who ran riot in Perth, lacked the same impact with the pink ball. Bumrah and Siraj did manage to claim four wickets each, but Rana remained wicketless and also leaked runs at an economy of 5.40. After the underwhelming show in Adelaide, some have started questioning Rana’s place in the XI, with Akash Deep waiting in the wings to play his first Test on Australian soil.
Manjrekar also feels that Akash should get a chance in the XI, but he also feels it should not be at the expense of Rana, as the former can be picked if India decide to go for a pace attack.
“Not at the expense of Harshit Rana. But, I think that might happen. Just trying to read the team management’s mind, but if it’s an all-out pace pitch, he (Akash Deep) can be the fourth seamer…So India have to think about that carefully,” Manjrekar said on ESPNCricinfo.
Akash made an impressive Test debut during the England series earlier this year; he also did a decent job with the ball against Bangladesh and New Zealand in the limited opportunities. He managed to trouble the batters with new ball despite not much assistance from the surface for the pacers.
Tricky job for Rohit-Gambhir to finalise pace attack
With the Brisbane Test fast approaching, the Indian team appears focused and determined to bounce back from their recent defeat and players have started the preparations already. The rigorous practice sessions reflect their commitment to improving and delivering a stronger performance in the upcoming match.
Manjrekar suggested that India should assess the Gabba pitch wisely before deciding on the third and fourth seamers in the line-up.
“This bowling lineup with Bumrah, Siraj, Harshit Rana or Akash Deep is starting to look a little inadequate, if the pitch is going to be as flat as it was in Adelaide in Brisbane. Otherwise, it should be enough,” he added.
