The residents of Chennai have endured a terrible 10 days with the death of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, followed by Cyclone Vardah, which has caused havoc in a city now striving hard to get back to normal.
The arrival of the India and England Test teams in Chennai cannot possibly change much but the fact the Test is going ahead at Chepauk may be regarded as an indication that some sort of normal service is being resumed.
At the ground preparations were anything but routine on Wednesday morning. There was the extraordinary sight of pans of hot coals being meticulously rolled along the pitch to enhance the drying process. There is confidence everything will be ready for the match to start on Friday.
The pitch has been kept remarkably dry, given the ferocity of the storms; the outfield has some wet patches but the drainage system is described by the secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, KS Vishwanathan, as excellent. “There is a lot of work to be done but we are tackling it on a war footing,” he said.
The floodlights have been damaged, so has the roof on one of the stands, but that particular enclosure was not going to be used because safety clearances have not been granted. Understandably the practice facilities were not ready for use on Wednesday and that may also be the case as far as the nets are concerned on Thursday. Neither side can possibly quibble about that. The game goes ahead.
It is one England’s management may privately view with some trepidation. This is Ravi Ashwin’s home ground and there is no doubting India’s mesmerising off-spinner, who increasingly reveals the temperament of the archetypal fast bowler, would like to send England’s tourists packing with tails firmly stationed between their legs.
The pitch being dried in an unusual fashion in Chennai after the cyclone. I could have lent them @GeoffreyBoycott #plentyofhotair pic.twitter.com/x62Zedxmm0
— Adam Mountford (@tmsproducer) December 14, 2016
Moreover England are in a fragile state. They have tried most things – and they have tried hard – but the outcome has been three consecutive Tests defeats and the margins are expanding with every match. The distraction of that flight home looms ever larger however professionally they determine to go about their business.
They have shuffled the batting order, they have changed the balance of their bowling attack and by their own admission they have probably ended up with the incorrect lineup in the last two Tests. Not that there is any conviction any alternative formula would have made much difference. Pride and a bit of self-preservation are now the driving forces, though to be fair there has never be any sign of a lack of commitment or effort throughout the last three games. They have simply been outplayed in contests where India could afford a few lapses whereas England could not.
Expect England to pick the same batsmen as in Mumbai, presumably in the same order – unless this is deemed the time for another shuffle for Moeen Ali, who has played more roles for England than Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets. It is just conceivable they may want to experiment with Jos Buttler at No4 in this Test, which would mean Moeen returning to seven.
Having perused the strip at the ground there could be further experimentation. If the think tank reckon they spy a three-spinner surface they may emulate what happened in Sydney almost three years ago when, more out of curiosity than anything else, they played Scott Borthwick – now of Surrey.
The equivalent this time would be to give Liam Dawson a game, partly just to see what happens. Against Australia in January 2014 Borthwick picked up four cheap wickets amid the carnage of the fifth Test but he has never been sighted since. Perhaps playing at The Oval will help him. There really does not seem much point in selecting Gareth Batty.
In that dead rubber Ashes Test in which Borthwick played, England also brought Gary Ballance into their side, but it is most unlikely they will stretch that far this time. They also played Boyd Rankin, which definitely will not happen in Chennai since he is not here and he is Irish again. At the end of that Sydney defeat there was much speculation over whether Alastair Cook would continue as captain. We are in similar territory now.
Does the history of England’s visits to Chennai give any cheer? From their first Test here in 1934 (captain – Douglas Jardine) to their last one in 2008 (captain – Kevin Pietersen) there has been only one draw in eight matches – on the most soporific of tours in 1981-82. England have won three of those games, India, as you may have calculated, four. So expect a result, probably the one most capable of giving the hard-pressed locals something to smile about.
