India expect England to roll out a challenging track for the third test at Lord’s but are confident their in-form batters can master it, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on Tuesday.
India levelled the five-test series 1-1 with a thumping 336-run victory at Edgbaston where they racked up 587 in the first innings and declared their second on 427-6.
England are pondering overhauling their tired bowling attack and a fit-again Jofra Archer is in line to play his first test in more than four years at Lord’s.
“It will be a challenge if Jofra comes in,” Kotak told reporters ahead of the third test beginning on Thursday.
“England might want to make a couple of bowling challenges. The wicket, it seems, will also be a bit more challenging.
“After the last two games, if England decides to roll out a more challenging wicket, it’s fair enough.”
The green tinge of the pitch tells Kotak that runs would not exactly flow at Lord’s.
“This wicket looks greener than the last two matches. But one cannot be too sure before the final trimming tomorrow,” he said.
“Normally the first and second innings scores at Lord’s tend to be lower. So bowlers can expect a bit more help here.”
Shubman Gill has been in sensational form in his first series as India’s test captain smashing a hundred in the opening test in Leeds and following it with scores of 269 and 161 at Edgbaston.
Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also struck hundreds, which Kotak believed meant they would not be found wanting at Lord’s regardless of conditions.
“For the batters, it will be a matter of just trying to spend as much time as possible on this wicket and adjust to it,” he said.
“Our batters are so skilful that they are scoring at four an over even when they are not looking to score quickly.
“But the mindset here would be, we won’t look for boundaries. If you don’t play silly shots, you’ll play long innings on these wickets.”
(Reuters)
