One day removed from the start of the fifth and the final Test between India and England at Dharamsala, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma gave his verdict about the pitch. This will be the first time Sharma will be playing a Test match at the HPCA Cricket Stadium and said that it looks like a good pitch.
“I have not played a Test match here in Dharamsala. Both seamers and spinners played back in 2017 Test,” said Rohit during the pre-match press conference ahead of the 5th Test, adding, “Looking at the pitch, it looks like a good pitch. It will be a typical Indian pitch with some movement at start and towards the end.”
The only Test played at this venue was in 2017 when India beat Australia by eight wickets. Kuldeep Yadav had made his debut in the game returning a match haul of four wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged the player of the match for his 1/57, 63 & 3/24 effort. In fact only Ravichandran Ashwin, Jadeja and Kuldeep from the current squad featured in that game.
However, talking about the conditions, Sharma did hint that the team management may look to add an extra seamer in their playing XI. “There is a good chance to play extra seamer. We have not yet completely decided on it but there is a good chance,” said Sharma.
The debate over India preparing rank turners or pitches that give advantage to the spinners, Sharma said that the intent is to win match be it any kind of surface and preparing a certain kind of strip has its own pros and cons. “Whether its rank turner or any other pitch, intent is to win. Even on rank turners, advantages and disadvantages are for both teams. For me, the way we won in the series is more satisfying. It has been a series of comebacks for us,” he added.
