THE LAST GAMBIT
Resurgent India plot final move to trap England
Ahmedabad, March 3: A ruthless India will not take their foot off the pedal while taking England for another “spin ride” in the high-stakes Test series finale starting Thursday, aiming to not just complete another dominant home performance but also realise their World Test Championship dreams.
Virat Kohli’s men need at least a draw to maintain the current 2-1 scoreline to qualify for the Lord’s final against New Zealand while England at best can heal Tim Paine’s January scars by letting Australia a lucky passage to the summit clash with a win.
While a draw always seems a safe option in a game like this but Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, with their attacking instincts, wouldn’t like to play a defensive game which at times can be counter-productive.
India laid a venomous trap on the refurbished Motera and with the pink ball, demolished England inside two days, messing more with their minds than getting any tangible help from the track.
Axar Patel bowled ramrod straight and England had their heads “spinning” from the start. The ploy has worked well for the hosts.
Both Ajinkya Rahane and Zak Crawley felt that the track for the fourth Test looks “similar” to what they got in the previous two matches but the red ball which skids less off the surface compared to the pink one promises to make it a better contest between the two teams.
This is a Test match where England have little to gain save salvaging a bit of pride in a drawn series while India have everything to lose.
For England, poor team selection has also contributed to their shoddy batting where Joe Root (333 runs) managed to maintain a fair gap (187 runs) between him and the second highest scorer Ben Stokes (146).
Jack Leach (16 wickets) has done his bit but he does have his own set of limitations and with his pace he is unlikely to always trouble the batsman.