India have kept open the option of playing the fourth Test against Australia with two spinners, considering the possibility of Melbourne pitch slowing down over the last 2-3 days of the match after undergoing wear and tear on the initial two days.
Captain Rohit hinted on the possibility of including a second spinner in the eleven for the Boxing Day Test, but it’s something that the Indian team management has still not decided.
“Whatever we have to do to make the best possible XI in these conditions, we will do that — whether that is playing an extra spinner or not,” said Rohit at the press conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground curator, however, has said that he expects the fast bowlers to get assistance from the pitch despite the weather forecast showing temperatures to go as high as 40 degrees Celsius on the opening day (December 26) of the match.
In case Rohit and chief coach Gautam Gambhir give their nod to a second spinner, it’s likely to be the off-spinner Washington Sundar partnering left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, as Ravichandran Ashwin is no longer available after having announced his shock retirement from international cricket at the end of the drawn third Test in Brisbane.
India have included uncapped all-rounder Tanush Kotian, who also bowls off-spin, as Ashwin’s replacement.
The visitors have massively relied on their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to get them wickets, with the support cast of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep and Harshit Rana nowhere near as consistent as the Indian vice-captain.
But Rohit threw his weight behind the pacers, putting his “faith” in the bowling unit “to get the job done”.
“When you talk about our bowling unit, I have enough faith in all our bowlers to get the job done,” he said. “Anyone can have tough games, tough series. But it doesn’t mean they are not good enough to perform at this level. It (so) happened that in these two or three games they’ve not been able to get those big numbers, but that’s okay, it happens. I have enough confidence and faith in them.”
Bumrah has taken 21 wickets in three Tests, which includes two five-fors and a four-wicket spell. Siraj is the second best Indian bowler with 13 wickets to his name.
The five-Test series is level at 1-1.
