India’s senior-most pacer Ishant Sharma may not find a place in the playing XI in the remaining two Tests against England after an indifferent show in the third match, which the visitors lost by an innings and 76 runs.
Ishant Sharma’s figures of 22-0-92-0 were the worst among the Indian pacers as England scored 432 runs but more importantly, the veteran looked jaded. The gingerly run-up never transformed into the bustling Ishant Sharma that the fans are accustomed to watching. He bowled primarily in the late 120kmph and early 130kmph but was hardly penetrative, effectively turning India’s attack into a three-pronged pace unit.
Ishant Sharma Set To Be Dropped In The 4th Oval Test
There has been no confirmation whether Ishant Sharma, who has had a history of ankle injuries as well as side strain issues, was fully fit during the third Test match. Skipper Virat Kohli refused to speak about the pacer’s performance after the match but did indicate that there will be changes keeping in mind the workload of the pace bowlers.
However, Ishant Sharma, who didn’t play the first Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham has bowled 56 overs across three innings with five wickets to show for his efforts. It’s clear that during this English summer since the World Test Championship final Ishant Sharma does not seem to have the sting when he bowls third or fourth spell. In the case of Ishant Sharma going out, the choice would again be between Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur.
Shardul Thakur with his better batting abilities is ahead in the pecking order but Umesh Yadav is certainly a better red ball bowler than the Mumbaikar. But with Virat Kohli clearly pointing out that workload will be monitored, it remains to be seen whether the seasoned Mohammed Shami with 11 wickets from 96.5 overs is rested to keep him fresh for the final Test or Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah has bowled the maximum overs among Indian pacers (108 overs) taking 14 wickets in the series. The pacer is expected to play most games for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and is a very important member of the T20 World Cup team. The other pacer Mohammed Siraj, who is only a couple of months junior to Jasprit Bumrah, has bowled 100.5 overs in the series.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s absence from India’s playing XI in the third Test against England was once again a subject of debate as the team went in with 4 pacers and Ravindra Jadeja as the sole spinner. Pacer Ishant Sharma picked 5 scalps bowling 56 overs across 2 Tests averaging 34.8 in the England tour and may not play the last 2 Tests.
Ravindra Jadeja’s Knee Scan Hasn’t revealed Any Damage But Surely Ravichandran Ashwin Won’t Be Benched Again
Meanwhile, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s knee scan report hasn’t revealed any significant damage but off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin looks favourite to start in the fourth Test at The Oval from September 2. It is still not clear whether India will plan to go in with two specialist spinners but Ravichandran Ashwin, who had a great county game for Surrey at the same venue won’t be benched at least in this game.
Ravichandran Ashwin has scalped 413 wickets in the 79 Tests he has played for India, at an excellent average of 24.56. The off-spinner was the second-highest wicket-taker for India and fourth overall, in the four-match Test series in Australia in 2020/21. Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 12 wickets in 3 Tests, including one four-wicket haul.
In the four-match home series against England 2021, he was the highest wicket-taker. He signed off the series with 32 scalps in 4 Tests, including 3 five-wicket hauls. He played the WTC Final which India lost but didn’t feature in any of the first 3 Tests against hosts England.