'Lot of talk around me and Anderson playing together': Stuart Broad ahead of India vs England 3rd Test in Ahmedabad

Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been rotating in the England side in the last couple of years or so. The experienced duo who share more than 1100 Test wickets between them have played only 9 Tests together in the last two years with the last one being the home Test against Pakistan.

Reacting to the talk of he and James Anderson playing together in the England XI in the third Test which is supposed to be their first-ever day-night pink-ball fixture against India in Ahmedabad, veteran pacer Stuart Broad said ‘it is all guesswork’ and selection will be done based on the nature of the pitch ahead of the Test match beginning on February 24.

England's Stuart Broad and James Anderson walk off(Reuters)

“There has been talk of this being the match most likely for myself and James Anderson to play in the same team this winter but it is all guesswork for the next few days. Selection can only really take place after a look at the pitch on Tuesday or even on the morning of the game, Broad wrote in his column for Daily Mail.

Broad and Anderson have been rotating in the England side in the last couple of years or so. The experienced duo who share more than 1100 Test wickets between them have played only 9 Tests together in the last two years with the last one being the home Test against Pakistan.

Anderson played the first Test against India but was replaced by Broad in the next despite the former playing a major role in England’s victory.

Broad went wicketless in the second Test in Chennai, which India won by 317 runs to draw level in the four-match series.

“If I’d been 23 and finished with no wickets I would have been annoyed and frustrated but experience helps in this situation.

I know that I created slip and caught-behind chances and as a seamer you can only create the opportunities, not guarantee that the batsmen are out as a result. I’ve reflected that I created as many chances as any other seamer on that pitch, more or less,” wrote Broad.

Throwing more light on England’s selection for the upcoming Test in Ahmedabad, Broad said, a traditional’ Engish team is likely. “Now that Moeen Ali has gone home, it feels like it will either be two seamers plus Ben Stokes or three plus Stokes and the spinner — a more traditionally English team, if you like,” he wrote.

The veteran right-arm seamer said he is hungry to play the pink-ball Test as conditions are more likely to suit seamers.

“I’m hungry to play this week but I appreciate these Indian conditions are not necessarily my strength and my record here doesn’t compare to my one in England, South Africa and the Caribbean,” he added.

Commenting about the newly built Motera Stadium, which is now the largest cricket stadium in the world (in terms of capacity), Broad it’s like a coliseum.

“I have to say that this new stadium at Motera, the biggest in the world, is so impressive that it has a bit of an aura about it even when empty. It’s like a coliseum.

“I can only imagine what it will be like at 50 per cent capacity, with 55,000 people in, from Wednesday. And with 110,000, at a World Cup match later this year for example, I don’t know if we would be able to hear ourselves think.

“The loudest I’ve ever heard a crowd was at the MCG in the 2017-18 Ashes when I caught David Warner on 99 — only for us to discover Tom Curran had bowled a no ball. When he got to his hundred next ball the noise was incredible but I think this ground has the potential to outdo it.

“And even a crowd of 10,000 daily made a big difference last week compared to the behind-closed- doors first match, it didn’t feel as though it was a coincidence that India’s players upped their game,” he wrote.