The fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will start on July 31.
Rules are what any game thrives on. But, the problem starts when they are applied just for one team. Just 24 hours after the heated exchange between Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and English curator Lee Fortis, the argument has taken an unexpected turn. A few England players were seen freely walking and shadow practicing on the main pitch, without the intrusion of any groundsmen. This incident has further led to the escalation of the matter.
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As per Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Fortis asked the Indians to stay 2.5 metres away from the wicket to inspect it. Moreover, the curator also yelled at one of the members of the support staff, when they were getting an ice box on the field of play. But the fact that the English players are roaming freely on the same wicket, without the interference of any of the groundsmen has raised serious questions over the double standards behaviour of the English curator Lee Fortis.
Kotak also mentioned that he has never come across such a strange rule in his entire cricketing career. Players are often advised to stay clear of the wicket in a certain manner, but 2.5 metres is a distance from which one cannot even read the pitch. Moreover, the Indians were wearing joggers and not even spikes for the pitch to be affected by their movements. The demands of Fortis were very strange to say the least, and Gautam Gambhir had to step in to speak up to the injustice that his team was being put through.
Apart from the controversies doing the rounds, England have declared the playing XI for the fifth Test against India in London. The hosts have made four changes to the line-up. Most importantly, skipper Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test. Ollie Pope, his deputy will do the captaincy duties. Stokes is nursing a shoulder injury which keeps him out of the Test match. The 34-year-old all-rounder also needs to keep himself fit for the big Ashes series later this year. Additionally, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Liam Dawson will also miss the Test match.
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The visitors will have a real chance to square the series even before leaving for India. The Oval is one venue in England where pacers pick most of the wickets as compared to other venues. With Jasprit Bumrah out of contention for the Indians, Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep will have to shoulder the responsibility. Moreover, Kuldeep Yadav is expected to make his debut in the last Test of the series. Nonetheless, it will be an important Test match for both teams.
One notable observation from England’s playing XI is that they do not have a specialist spinner in the ranks. Joe Root and Jacob Bethell will have to do the spin bowling if the need arises. The English have made their intentions clear that they will attack the Indians with pace. They firmly believe that the wicket at this venue supports pace more than spin. It will be interesting to see the combination India go with.
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