Rohit, Gambhir’s surprise game plan in 1st BAN Test exposed as India groom Ashwin, Jadeja’s brand-new partner
India are all set to return to Test action after over five months, with the Rohit Sharma-led outfit slated to take on Bangladesh in a two-match contest next week.
It will be part of India’s continued home campaign in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, having beaten England 4-1 earlier in March, and will be followed by a third and final series on home turf, against New Zealand late next month before they embark on a tour of Australia in December to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
Ahead of the Test series, Indian players named for the opening match assembled in Chennai, where the contest will begin next Thursday, for a training camp. On the opening day, on Friday, Virat Kohli, who reached from London that very morning, and Jasprit Bumrah, slated to make his first appearance since the T20 World Cup final in June, took centerstage under the watchful eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir, who was accompanied by new joinee, Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach.
On day 2 of the camp, on Saturday, the practice largely remained the same, although one factor stood out. In a video shared by Jio Cinema on its website on India’s training session, Rohit and Gambhir’s likely game plan was exposed on opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who seemed to take his bowling seriously, was seen delivering a few leg-breaks after his batting session. The video showed R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja facing his deliveries, who could be his potential partner in the Chennai Test.
Bowling batters, the new norm in Indian team
Jaiswal previously bowled just one over in his nine-match Test career, against England in Ranchi, where he conceded six runs. He had also rolled his arms for an over in a T20I game last year against West Indies in Lauderhill for 11 runs.
Batters being experimented with as part-time bowlers is quickly becoming a norm in the Gambhir era, with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh starting the trend in the Sri Lanka T20I series in July. The strategy spilled onto the ODI series that followed, with Rohit picking six bowlers despite Hardik Pandya’s availability in the playing XI. Gambhir’s ideology has been simple – have enough batting and bowling depth without compromising team balance.
With Chennai reportedly set to roll out a pitch comprising red soil, slated to aid the pacers, just like they did in the 2019 series with the then Australia tour in mind, Ashwin and Jadeja will be the lone specialist spinners for India, but Jaiswal could emerge as a handy third option.