England and India’s cricketers touched down in Chandigarh on Tuesday before the third Test in neighbouring Mohali with Trevor Bayliss in an upbeat mood despite England being 1-0 down in this five-match series and with much more to ponder than the hosts.
Bayliss and his captain, Alastair Cook, are ready to replace the struggling No4 batsman Ben Duckett with Jos Buttler but are looking increasingly likely to be without the fast bowler Stuart Broad following the tendon strain to his right foot he suffered on the first morning of the 246-run defeat in Visakhapatnam.
Cook has already admitted playing Broad would be a big risk. He sported a protective boot as the team made the 1,200-mile flight from the east coast of India to the Punjab in the north and reported greater discomfort in the aftermath of bowling 30 overs across the two India innings. A sickness bug picked up since has not helped matters and he will not train before Saturday’s Test.
Chris Woakes, rested for the second Test, is Broad’s obvious replacement but England may yet consider an extra pace bowler – either Steven Finn or Jake Ball – should the pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association in Mohali, where temperatures are slightly cooler, suit this approach. The form of Adil Rashid, who has 13 wickets in two Tests, may also convince Cook and Bayliss a third spinner in Zafar Ansari is not required.
While 35 of the 40 wickets to fall during India’s three-day win over South Africa here last year were to the spinners it was not a traditional Mohali surface and this time the hosts have bolstered their seam options too by calling up Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a swing bowler, in place of the reserve opener Gautam Gambhir.
Buttler’s inclusion for Duckett as a specialist batsman would reduce the number of left-handers in England’s batting lineup but would mean the 26-year-old coming into the side with no middle practice because of the absence of warm-up fixtures.
“Without playing any matches, he’s hitting the ball very well in the nets,” Bayliss said. “I think he’s coming to terms with the fact the best way is to play like he does in one-day cricket. He’s showing a lot of confidence in the nets and the nets spin just as much as the centre does. He’s certainly hitting the ball as well as anyone. If he does play the next Test, I’m sure he’ll give it 100%.”
On the overall situation in the series, Bayliss added: “We’re not here to make up the numbers. We’re here to compete and to win a series. And from a coach’s point of view we’ve competed very well in the first two Tests and have put India under pressure as well.”
The one distraction for India on the travel day came when their captain, Virat Kolhi, found himself drawn into the ball-tampering saga in Australia that has seen his South Africa equivalent, Faf du Plessis, fined 100% of his match fee but avoid a ban for using sugared saliva from a sweet to shine the ball during their recent Test win in Hobart.
A South African news outlet, Independent Online, alleged Kohli had performed something similar during the drawn first Test with England in Rajkot, publishing footage on Tuesday morning that appeared less clear-cut than in the case of Du Plessis. With the five days in which it needed bringing to the match referee’s attention expired, the International Cricket Council will not be taking action.
