All is deceptively serene. A hazy Saturday morning a hundred yards from the ocean and England practise at the Cricket Club of India on true pitches with a touch of grass upon them. It is the Indian equivalent of a net at the Nursery End at Lord’s. Everything is pristine perfect.
The facilities are excellent, the venue reassuringly familiar. The England bowlers are not yet confronted by the hawk-eyed Virat Kohli, a double centurion in his last Test innings, against New Zealand a month ago; for the batsmen there is no Ravi Ashwin (27 wickets in three Tests against the Kiwis) spinning a web from 22 yards. There is even news of significant reinforcements on the way. Jimmy Anderson is expected in India on Tuesday. He might even be available for selection for the second Test in Visakhapatnam; in Rajkot he will be able to offer first-hand congratulations to Stuart Broad on his 100th Test.
It is unlikely to be like this in Rajkot, though the stadium there, completed in 2009, has a Lord’s style press box. There has never been a Test there so nobody knows quite what to expect at the home of Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s No3. It is a long way from cosmopolitan Mumbai, not just because this is vegetarian, teetotal territory.
The initial murmurs are not that encouraging for England. There is talk of a lush green outfield, all the better for scuppering any reverse swing, which is the English attack’s most potent weapon. Meanwhile, the groundsman, Dhiraj Prasanna, has said: “I’m all for giving a sporting wicket.”
England must wait and see. They arrive there on Sunday. On Monday morning they will be peering at the playing surface eagerly after which the team management must come to some conclusions, having spent a week mulling over their options.
There are so many of them but no obvious solutions. There is no certainty about the final India XI, but no paranoia either. The absence of Rohit Sharma for the series opens up the possibility of a change of balance in their side. They have been content to play a two pacemen/two spinners formation in the series against New Zealand; this was won 3-0 so it seems as if two pacemen and two spinners have been sufficient.
It is just possible in Rajkot that the leg‑spinner Amit Mishra could come into their team along with a pace bowling all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, especially if the pitch is sporting for spin bowlers. Mishra might be a handy accomplice for Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. India have as many all-rounders as England but they do not feel the same need for as many bowlers.
England cannot make any decisions until they inspect the pitch. Alastair Cook has said that his preferred bowling formation is three/three – though this might change whenever Anderson is deemed to be fully fit. The conditions in Rajkot may even affect their batting choices. The expectation is that the out of form Gary Ballance will be replaced, but by whom? The choice, presumably to the selectors’ embarrassment, is a wicketkeeper/batsman who may well have seen a cuckoo more frequently than a red ball in 2016 or a 19-year-old novice, who has only ever opened the batting in first-class cricket (bear in mind how Cook and Ben Duckett, another greenhorn, added a hundred together at the top of the order in Dhaka).
If the pitch looks flat at the start there is a stronger case for a crease occupier like Haseeb Hameed, but if it resembles the one in Dhaka, turning from the start, the argument for a more aggressive batsman – like Jos Buttler – is stronger. Either way, these are odd options to have at the start of a series.
If anything the selection of the best bowling attack is even harder. Cook’s leaning for a three/three combination makes sense if the ball is going to turn early on. In Dhaka, Steven Finn, his third paceman, was required to bowl 11 overs. Broad, who will replace Finn, is likely to bowl more than that alongside Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes.
But which spinners should accompany Moeen Ali? Once again Cook and the coach, Trevor Bayliss, appear to be left with an unplayable lie. Gareth Batty is probably the most reliable, but against a side set to contain nine right-handed batsmen, a second off-spinner is the least attractive option. Adil Rashid was treated as the bowler of the last resort in the second innings in Dhaka – and it was easy to understand why – whereupon he snatched four late wickets, not decisive ones but they may have bolstered his confidence a little.
Zafar Ansari spins the ball in the right direction, but seems to have been picked under a false premise. There is the suggestion that he made the squad not because he was regarded as the best left-arm spinner in county cricket in 2016 – an accolade that surely belongs to Somerset’s Jack Leach – but because he was the best understudy for Moeen.
Ansari is an all-rounder, who started his cricketing life as a batsman – just as Moeen did. But in India they would like him to be a partner for Moeen rather than an understudy, which is asking an awful lot. Whichever trio is selected the comparison with the Graeme Swann/ Monty Panesar combo of four years ago is not a source of great optimism.
It does not pay for Cook and Bayliss to dwell on this and there is no sign that they are doing so. They must make do and this was the nub of the message from Cook when he spoke at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday. There may be too many flaws – and too many options – in this England squad. But there is also ambition, hunger and a willingness to work, plus some big match players.
England are happy as underdogs and they seem to be up for the challenge. But it would settle the nerves immeasurably if somehow Cook could win the toss at Rajkot and for his side, whichever XI they settle upon, to bat deep into the second day.
