Ahead of the Day-Night Test against Australia in Adelaide, India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted that Ishant Sharma’s absence is a “big miss” but he feels the current set of fast bowlers can do wonders Down Under.
Ishant is currently recovering from a rib injury which he sustained while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
“I think, we do really have a strong attack but yes we will definitely miss Ishant, being the senior fast bowler,” Rahane said during a virtual press conference.
“The guys who are here Umesh (Yadav), (Navdeep) Sani, (Mohammed) Siraj with Jasprit (Bumrah) and (Mohammed) Shami, they are all really good and experienced and they know how to bowl in these conditions,” he added.
“…this is a new series starting with the Pink ball, so it is all about getting that momentum, but I do believe that we have the attack to get 20 wickets,” he continued.
Mayank Agarwal is likely to open the innings for the visitors but there is a question mark over his partner with the choice being among Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul.
Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha will also compete for the wicketkeeper's slot.
When asked about the opening combination and wicketkeeper, Rahane said a decision will be taken on the eve of the match.
“See, we have still not decided what’s our combination going to be. We will sit tomorrow, there is another day to go, one more practice session to go, we will sit tomorrow and discuss what’s our combination,” he said.
“…but see whoever plays, it is going to be like, everyone is equally there, everyone is equally talented, whoever plays, they can win the match for us, so it is all about trusting our players,” he further remarked.
Rahane, who will lead India in the last three Tests after regular skipper Virat Kohli returns home on paternity leave, also spoke about how pink ball’s increased pace off the pitch during the 40-50 minutes of the twilight session, will be the biggest challenge for any batsman.
“I feel in the day, the new pink ball slightly moves, but then after that it becomes easy to bat…when the twilight period comes, for 40-50 minutes, that becomes a bit challenging for the batsmen to focus,” Rahane said.
“The ball’s pace increases, initially there is normal pace, but when lights are on and the twilight period starts, the pace increases off the wicket (surface).
“In case of red ball, when we play throughout the day, the pace does not change suddenly, but with the pink ball, within 40-50 minutes, pace changes completely. It is very important to make adjustments there,” he elaborated.
According to Rahane, the chance to practice for a month and play two first-class matches has made the team equipped for the Test series.
“Quarantine was challenging, especially the first 14 days but luckily we got concessions and got the opportunity to practice during the quarantine period, so that was good preparation,” Rahane said.
“We got that time this year, to practice, plan ourselves really well, went to do our training and skill sessions and obviously those two practice games really helped before the first Test match,” he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
