The Indian team will face England in the final Test of the ongoing five-match series with the series already sealed. The game beginning on March 7 will still be important as points for the World Test Championship will be up for grabs.
England would need to regain their focus after missing a golden opportunity to win a Test in the previous game, at Ranchi. The visitors have fought hard in all games but haven’t been able to seal the crucial moments in the last three Tests.
So, what can we expect from this contest? An English fightback or an Indian flourish? Let’s look at five things that fans would need to keenly observe in the upcoming clash.
Jonny Bairstow fighting for his place
England veteran Jonny Bairstow will be playing his 100th Test at Dharamsala. However, far from being in a celebratory mood, the Yorkshire batsman will be under pressure to justify his place in the side.
Bairstow has failed to register a single half-century in this series so far. His highest score has been 38 in these four Tests. While England coach Brendon McCullum confirmed his participation in the upcoming Test, a failure might just see him left out of the team for the following Test.
This is a very rare situation – a player is celebrating his 100th Test but is also playing, effectively, to retain his spot in the playing XI. It will be a performance that will be keenly watched.
Joe Root vs Jasprit Bumrah
Joe Root’s dismissal in the first innings of the third Test, off the bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, was the most talked-about wicket of the series. The ill-fated attempt at a reverse-scoop seemed to embody the recklessness that England has shown, at times, in the name of ‘Bazball’.
Root, being a top-quality batsman, fought back heroically to score a magnificent 100 in the last Test. But that innings came in the absence of his arch-nemesis Bumrah. The Indian speedster has dismissed the leading English batter nine times.
To say that Root is a bit of a ‘bunny’ of Bumrah won’t be wrong. The reverse scoop in the third Test by the former England captain was an attempt to disrupt his rival’s bowling rhythm. It didn’t work on that occasion.
So, what will be Root’s response this time, if and when he comes across the Indian pacer again? This will be a riveting contest to watch. Both the players are among the modern-day greats. Seeing them go up against each other would be a delight for cricket fans.
England’s approach with the bat
The fourth Test of this series saw England putting away their ultra-aggressive style of play and use a more measured approach. In the first innings, Joe Root decided to rein in his flamboyance and led his team to a very good score.
The second innings was a bit more puzzling as England went nowhere when they found themselves in a quandary. That experience may reinforce their belief that it’s better to go down all guns blazing than prod around in the hope of getting runs.
When England come out to bat in the last Test, their openers – Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley – will play aggressively. But it would be the approach of the middle order that would be interesting to follow. Will Root carry on batting as he did during his century in Ranchi? Will the rest of the middle and lower order do the same? Or will it be back to firing on all cylinders?
Ben Stokes’ Bowling
Will he or won’t he? The England captain is a proven commodity as a bowler. While it may not have affected the outcome of this series, if Ben Stokes had been able to bowl in this series so far, he might have helped England’s cause somewhat.
Reports suggest that Stokes is almost ready to bowl again. He has some good performances in India to look back at. In the 2016 series, he picked up a five-wicket haul. In England’s win over India in Chennai in 2021, he got a well-set Virat Kohli out in the last innings of the Test.
What’s more, Stokes has the uncanny ability to step up for his team when they need him most. So, if he bowls, England might gain a bit of heft in their bowling. But the question remains – Will he?
Sarfaraz Khan Still Needs to Prove Himself
While he may have got two half-centuries in his debut Test, Sarfaraz Khan can’t get complacent. Those two knocks came when his team was calling the shots and England were stuttering.
In the previous Test, in challenging circumstances, he didn’t deliver a great performance. With KL Rahul and Virat Kohli likely to be back for India’s next series, Sarfaraz needs to make a very strong case for retaining his place in the team.
His batting in the third Test was a delight to watch, especially the way he dealt with spinners. Will we see more of it in the last Test? Or will he crumble under pressure again? This will be closely observed by Indian selectors.