Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has issued a warning to the Indian cricket team, advising them not to underestimate the importance of the fifth and final Test against England, which will be held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala from March 7 onwards.
Gavaskar, the former Indian skipper, stressed that the weather conditions in Dharamshala are more English than Indian; hence, the Ben Stokes-led England team would feel at home, so the hosts should be careful about their game plan for the match.
However, Team India already secured the ongoing five-match Test series after winning the last three games of the series, but there are still 12 WTC points up for grabs in the fifth and final Test against England.
Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day: “With just one Test match left in the series and that too in weather conditions more English than Indian, the visitors should feel a lot at home. The ball should swing a lot more in the air, but whether it will also seam off the pitch remains to be seen.”
Gavaskar added, “There’s a school of thought that thinks that with the series decided, the Indians may ease up a bit, but they forget that even a dead rubber match carries points for winning and all those matter when it comes to qualifying for the World Test Championship final.”
He signed off by saying, “So, there’s no chance of the Indian team taking it easy. Sure, the pressure will be just that little bit less since the series is already won, but there are places to secure and add to individual aggregates too.”
(With Mid-Day Inputs)
