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India and England are all geared up to lock horns in the fifth rescheduled Test slated to start from 1 July. While England are coming on the back of a memorable series win over World Champions New Zealand, India played a 4-day warm-up game against Leicestershire before the big match. The Men in Blue are leading the series 2-1 and have a great chance of winning a Test series in England after 15 long years.
But it won’t be an easy task considering England’s splendid form in red-ball cricket at the moment. India will have to be on top of their game to beat an upbeat England. They will also need quality bowlers to get rid of stubborn batters like Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. As the Edgbaston pitch is known to aid the seamers, India will look to make the right choices.
The Men in Blue have options aplenty in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur. While Bumrah and Shami are all set to feature in the eleven, it is to be seen which two pacers get a nod for the rest two spots.
Former India pacer Ajit Agarkar has come forward to help coach Rahul Dravid in making the right choices while building the pace attack for the important game. Agarkar has opined that Mohammed Siraj should be the obvious choice for the third pacer while Shardul Thakur can take the fourth spot. The former Indian pacer also said that he will be surprised if Siraj does not make the cut.
"Siraj had a really good series last year when India played those four Tests (against England) and he is one of most improved bowlers around at the moment. So I don't see any reason why Siraj would miss out," Agarkar said. "And he can do the tough work for you. When the ball is a little bit older can bowl long spells and bowl quick. I would be very surprised if he (Siraj) is not the third seamer," reasoned Agarkar.
About Shardul, Agarkar said that the pacer’s ability to chip in with the bat gives him an edge over the other available options. "Shardul offers a bit more with the bat at number eight and if there is likely help for the seamers, then he becomes even more effective. There is some swing and seam on offer," Agarkar said.