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India captain Rohit Sharma was coy on Tuesday about how his side would line up for the Boxing Day Test against Australia, with the option of a second spinner on the table.
Temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday, and the curator of the Melbourne Cricket Ground said during the week he expected the ground to offer plenty for fast bowlers.
But Rohit left the door open for a second spinner.
“Whatever we need to do to put together the best XI possible in these conditions, we will do, whether it’s playing an extra role or not,” he said.
With all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin announcing his immediate retirement from international cricket after the third Test in Brisbane, Ravindra Jadeja is expected to retain his place.
Washington Sundar is the other rotation option.
India were carried in this series by spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who tormented Australia almost single-handedly, with the other quicks not offering as much threat.
Speedster Akash Deep replaced the underperforming Harshit Rana in Brisbane and is expected to play again with Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Kumar Reddy if the second-round option is not taken up.
Despite their poor performance, Rohit defended the fast attack.
“When you talk about our bowling unit, I have enough confidence in all our bowlers to get the job done,” he said.
“Anyone can have tough games, tough series. But that doesn’t mean they’re not good enough to perform at that level.
“It happened in these two or three games; they didn’t manage to get big numbers, but it doesn’t matter, it happens. I have enough confidence in them.”
Rohit himself is under pressure.
After missing the first Test in Perth for the birth of his second child, he arrived at six in Adelaide and Brisbane instead of opening to allow Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul to stay at the top of the order.
There has been growing speculation he could start as a flyhalf again in Melbourne, but questions about that likelihood have been brushed aside.
“Let’s not worry about that. I think knowing who hits where is something we have to discover within ourselves,” he said.
“It’s not something I should discuss at every press conference, where I hit.
“Whatever it takes to make our team look good or give us the best chance to be successful, we’ll try to do.”
Both teams go into the match tied 1-1 in the five-match series after India won by 295 runs in Perth before being crushed by 10 wickets in Adelaide.
The hosts were leading in the third Test in Brisbane, but persistent rain spoiled the match and ended in a draw.
MP/Fox
