With the sides preparing for the third Test at Lord’s, the limelight is once more on the wicket and India head coach Gautam Gambhir is not taking anything for granted. The initial sight of the surface at the historic venue showed a green, thick top, triggering animated debates within the Indian camp, spearheaded by Gambhir himself.
As reported by The Times of India, Gambhir was spotted in a deep and serious huddle with his coaching team during a training session, planning for the anticipated seamer-friendly conditions. With Jasprit Bumrah ready to make a return to the playing XI, the Indian thinking process seems to be preparing a pace-oriented strategy in an effort to grab a 2-1 series advantage.
“Habits die hard,” says the report. “The ferocity of the chat, coupled with the obviously green jersey top, indicates that the Indian plan might be to take advantage of any help for their quicks,” it added.
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England, having been criticized over the flat, subcontinent-like wicket at Edgbaston, which was overwhelmed by India to equalize the series appear to have reverted back to their old strength, preparing a greener pitch in the hope of testing the Indian batsmen.
India batting coach Sitansuk Kotak, in a pre-Test media address, conceded the appearance of the pitch but hinted at something potentially different by the time of the toss.
“The pitch is very green right now. But let’s see how much grass they shave off tomorrow. There should be some help for the bowlers, but ultimately, mindset will be key for the batters,” Kotak said. He remained optimistic about India’s batting unit despite the challenge. “Our batters are highly skilled. They’ve been scoring at nearly four an over without trying too hard. Yes, it’ll be a tough pitch, but we’re not overthinking it.”
In keeping with India’s seeming pace-oriented plans, Bumrah bowled at full throttle in a voluntary practice session, delivering for almost 45 minutes at top gear. His body language and rhythm indicated he’s itching to spearhead India’s attack with the new ball at a ground where the conditions might tailor-made for him.
At the same time, a few major players – Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Washington Sundar — chose to miss the session, probably due to workload management as the series stretches out.
With the series hanging in the balance at 1-1 and a potentially searing pitch on offer, everyone’s attention is now on Lord’s for what is shaping up to be a decisive third Test in this thrilling fight between India and England.
