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Test stars the main attraction as Duleep set for grand finale
NEW DELHI: When this edition of the Duleep Trophy commenced, all eyes were on the pink ball. It was assumed that the shiny, glossy thing would swing alarmingly,
NEW DELHI: When this edition of the Duleep Trophy commenced, all eyes were on the pink ball. It was assumed that the shiny, glossy thing would swing alarmingly, as it did during the first division match between Bhowanipore and Mohun Bagan at Eden Gardens, when it was first officially used on Indian soil.
As we move into the final lap of the four-match tournament, we have some answers, and more questions. The pink ball doesn’t swing prodigiously. It moves off the seam, but not alarmingly. Run-making is not akin to mountain climbing, as five tons from three games prove. Leg-spinners are back in vogue. From Shreyas Gopal to 21-year-old chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, wrist-spinners have got dip and drift, and have been quite a handful under lights. The dark seam is hard to pick at night, and the googly, if not spotted from the hand, has troubled the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara.
Its behaviour on barren tracks though is yet to be identified. Also unknown is how long it can retain its gloss on traditional Indian tracks and will it, at any stage, reverse.
Of the 79 dismissals in Duleep Trophy so far, 32 have been effected by wrist spinners, and a majority of those have come at night. However, Yadav, whose 12 of 13 wickets have come under lights, puts it down to doing the basics right. “I think I have pitched the ball in right areas and have stuck to a good line and length. The pink ball dips and drifts if you ball wicket-to-wicket,” he told HT. STAR POWER. The final promises to be a star-studded affair with six members of the Test squad in action. Gautam Gambhir’s India Blue will be bolstered by the presence of Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, while India Red, led by Yuvraj Singh, will have Shikhar Dhawan, Stuart Binny and Amit Mishra in their ranks.
With India due to play 13 Tests at home in the coming months, starting with the New Zealand series that begins a week after the five-day final, first team regulars would look to get quality match practice.
The top three of India Blue — Mayank Agarwal, Gambhir and Pujara — have been in prolific form, with each having registered at least one fifty-plus score so far. Agarwal, in particular, has been a revelation. The Karnataka right hander, prone to throwing away starts, leads the runs tally with 311 runs at an average of 103.6, and he would be keen to continue the good run, especially with India coach Anil Kumble watching. The former leg-spinner is likely to be in attendance, purportedly to spot fresh talent ahead of the gruelling home season.
Yadav admitted that bowling to a Test class line-up would be tough. “Gautam bhai is one of the best players of spin in the country, and it will indeed be a challenge bowling to him. Pujara and Rohit bhai are also class players, and I am excited to take up the challenge of bowling to them,” he said. While Yuvraj Singh, who will lead India Red, will hope to give one last shot at a longer format career that never took off, there are others who’ll fancy their chances more...
His weakness on seaming tracks notwithstanding, Dhawan, who averaged 46 in the Test series in West Indies, will be a big boost to Yuvraj Singh’s India Red. He will most certainly partner inform Abhinav Mukund at the top and it will be a treat for spectators should the stroke-making duo gets going.
22 runs, 3 wickets, 1 catch. That was Jadeja’s return in Gros Islet, the sole Test he played in West Indies. However, at home, the left-hander is a vital cog in India’s scheme of things, and his tight bowling has often come in handy on tailor-made tracks. It would be interesting to see how he deals with the pink ball.
The left-hander has scored a fifty each time he has batted in this year’s Duleep Trophy, and his 226 runs have come at an average of 75.33. With a long home season ahead, the seasoned batsmen would be looking for another impressive performance to stake his claim for an India comeback.
Test skipper Virat Kohli feels Rohit can change the course of a match in a session, and the Mumbai right hander would be eager to justify his captain’s trust. Rohit’s Test career has always been under scrutiny, and it would be interesting to see how he copes with the double threat of Kuldeep Yadav and Amit Mishra under lights.
