NEW DELHI: For most of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide, India’s pace attack looked fractured. Every time Jasprit Bumrah operated, the edge returned. The only occasion where the Indian vice-captain seemed to have some support at the other end was when a face-off with Travis Head inspired Mohammed Siraj and he finished with a four-wicket haul. But for the most part, Indian pacers couldn’t use the pink ball to their advantage, even under lights. It has left India to mull over the bowling combination for the third Test at Gabba, beginning this Saturday.
There are no two ways about the fact that India need to take a look at the formation of their attack, while knowing that it will remain pace-dominated, especially at a venue that always has pace and bounce on offer. But there are few important points to ponder before any changes are considered.
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NO MORE PINK BALL
Harshit Rana remained wicketless in Adelaide after an impressive debut in Perth, followed by another good outing in the practice game in Canberra. His first Test with the pink ball didn’t go according to plan, but he could make the red ball talk. And the remaining three Tests will be all red-ball games.
Rana’s tall frame and ability to hit the deck hard makes him capable of making the batters hop and duck on a juicy Gabba pitch, which is expected to offer more assistance with Brisbane hosting a game early in the Australian summer. Not to forget rain is predicted on all five days of the Test, which can bring the overhead conditions into play and make Rana more useful.
THE NITISH REDDY DILEMMA
India may strongly feel the need to replace allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy with another pacer, most probably Akash Deep who has been one of the most impressive Indian pacers recently and waiting for his chance in Australia. But will the team do that at the cost of someone who has produced crucial runs lower down the order?
Reddy has taken the Australian pacers head on with attacking cameos in Perth as well as Adelaide. India have used him sparingly as a fourth pacer and focused on his batting usefulness. If the aim is to bring in reinforcements on the bowling front, coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma could consider replacing him with Akash or the lanky Prasidh Krishna.
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WILL SPIN WORK IN GABBA?
The last time India played at the Gabba, registering a famous victory in 2021, Washington Sundar was the spinner of choice. He took four wickets and scored crucial knocks of 62 and 22, the latter of which came in a match-winning partnership under pressure with Rishabh Pant.
Given his recent wicket-taking form against New Zealand, Sundar may replace senior offspinner R Ashwin. But Ashwin’s credentials as a batter lower down the order are no less impressive, and his stature as India’s premier spinner is unquestionable. And both have the height to extract bounce along with turn as the match progresses.
Also waiting in the ranks is left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who is the most accomplished of the three for someone who can also produce runs down the order.
Going with an all-out pace attack will be a little far-fetched and more of a gamble, when you need variation in the attack and have quality options available to do that.
A comparison in performance of Indian pacers and spinners at the Gabba shows that the tweakers have played a role in India’s past matches at the venue and can’t be entirely overlooked.
Indian pacers vs spinners in Tests at the Gabba
| Tests | Wickets | Avg | Best/inns | Best/match | 5WI | SR | ER | |
| Pacers | 7 | 70 | 32.04 | 5/72 | 7/155 | 3 | 59.4 | 3.23 |
| Spinners | 7 | 32 | 46.78 | 6/104 | 8/218 | 2 | 97.9 | 2.86 |
| Overall | 7 | 102 | 36.66 | 6/104 | 8/218 | 5 | 71.5 | 3/07 |
Pacers vs spinners in Tests at the Gabba
| Tests | Wickets | Avg | Best/inns | Best/match | 5WI | 10WI | SR | ER | |
| Pacers | 66 | 1465 | 29.63 | 9/52 | 15/123 | 62 | 7 | 60.9 | 2.91 |
| Spinners | 66 | 499 | 38.43 | 8/171 | 11/77 | 19 | 2 | 89.8 | 2.56 |
| Overall | 66 | 1964 | 36.66 | 9/52 | 15/123 | 81 | 9 | 68.3 | 2.79 |
BUMRAH’S WORKLOAD AN ISSUE
It’s evident that Bumrah’s body has already started taking a toll, as he had an injury scare in Adelaide, requiring medical attention after pulling up while holding his hamstring in the middle of an over. He also skipped the team’s practice session on Tuesday, with speculation rife in the Australian media about his fitness.
Siraj & Co will have to be more consistent and menacing in Bumrah’s support and to keep up the pressure on the Australian batters, which wasn’t the case when Head came on to bat in the first innings at Adelaide. With Bumrah off the attack, he took advantage and played his counter-attacking game freely to take the match away from India.
The Indian management will be mindful of that and hope the bowling attack rises to the occasion as a unit.
(Stats by: Rajesh Kumar)