Coach of India Ravi Shastri He was combative and confident when he addressed the virtual press conference after the team completed what he called “one of the great comebacks in the history of the game in the annals of world cricket.”
While team management may slap itself on the back, it should also prepare for a potentially tricky pick call involving a big name, ahead of the third test on January 7. India’s regular starter Rohit Sharma has completed his quarantine and will join the team on Wednesday.
With Umesh YadavFitness is also in question, will the team play it safe and just pick Rohit over Yadav and enter with four bowlers? No, according to Shastri. “We will limit ourselves to five bowlers,” he said.
“Rohit joins the team tomorrow. We will have a chat with him tomorrow to see where he is physically placed because he has been in quarantine for the last few weeks. We also (have) to see how he feels before taking the call.”
If India plays with five pitchers, pacemaker Navdeep Saini can replace Umesh and Rohit, if approved, can replace starter Mayank Agarwal, who has struggled in this series with his technique.
In the post-match presentation, Rahane, when asked about Rohit, handled it tactfully and said: “We are excited about Rohit’s return. I spoke to him yesterday and he is also very excited to return.”
When India appointed the team for the CGM test amid the gloom of Adelaide, there was a lot of criticism for not choosing KL Rahul as the sixth batter and for picking five bowlers against a fragile batting lineup.
But Umesh Yadav’s injury and lack of availability in the second inning justified the presence of the fifth pitcher, as both Haha and Ashwin It could release long periods and give the pacemakers regular breaks to keep cool.
With Rishabh Pant and Jadeja making helpful contributions, Rahane is likely to stick with the five-pin combo.
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