IND vs ENG: A typical Indian Test in English conditions? Rohit Sharma, Ben Stokes ponder over pitch, conditions in Dharamsala

Dharmendra2 kumar

getcricketnews|06-03-2024

With rain expected on Day One, regardless of the pitch condition, if England get to bowl first, India's top order will have the Anderson high hurdle to clear at the start of the innings.

Can the chill in the air, snow-peaked mountain range, quaint rural setting, a modest stadium complex with Victorian touch make Dharamsala seem like England? Those dealing with confusion over geography, and there are many, would have missed the all-important 22 yards on the centre of the lush green field of the stadium where India, having taken a winning 3-1 lead, play England for the fifth and final Test. Under the cloudy sky, men with woollens worked on the whitish-brown pitch that was devoid of any grass. On the face of it, England might be feeling at home until they got a first-hand feel of the track which Rohit Sharma called "typically Indian". England captain Ben Stokes has already discarded thoughts of playing three seamers and taken the less-adventurous mid-path of playing '2 spinners, 2 pacers'. Pacer Ollie Robinson makes way for the much speedier Mark Wood from the last Test. But despite the team announcement, the playing XI isn't etched in stone. Change could be expected on match day since England's most impressive player on the tour Shoaib Bashir missed training because of an upset stomach.
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