Finn, Sharma ruled out of series opener

India-England matches not a ‘grudge’ series, says Dhoni.

AHMEDABAD: India and England will be without the services of fast-bowlers Ishant Sharma and Steven Finn when they open a four-Test series in Ahmedabad today.

Finn has not recovered from a thigh strain suffered in England’s three-day tour opener in Mumbai last month, while Sharma was ruled out of the first Test due to viral fever he picked up on Tuesday. The duo’s absence was confirmed by rival captains Alastair Cook and MS Dhoni at a pre-match press conference yesterday, even as speculation mounted over the likely nature of the newly laid pitch.

Dhoni and Cook expected the dry surface at the Motera stadium to assist spin, but added its unknown quality would generate considerable interest for the two teams.

“Pitches can change a lot in 24 hours, but it looks quite dry,” said Cook. “The pitch has been re-laid and so there are not many statistics available that are relevant.”

Dhoni, who had openly called on groundsmen across India to prepare turning pitches against spin-wary tourists, termed it a ‘good pitch’.

“It definitely looks dry and I feel it will turn,” said Dhoni, but indicated India were unlikely to field a third specialist spinner in Harbhajan Singh to bowl alongside Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha.

“The fast-bowlers could also get a bit of reverse swing. It’s always advisable to have a bowling attack that has people available for different scenarios.”

England have proved vulnerable against the turning ball this year, losing 3-0 to Pakistan in the UAE in January-February before forcing a 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka in March. The tourists now confront an Indian side that usually makes up for its poor record abroad by dominating all comers on home soil, where it has lost just one series out of 16 in the past 10 years. India are desperate to make amends for two successive 4-0 routs in England and Australia over the past year, but Dhoni refused to term the upcoming matches as a grudge series.

“When we go on to the field there will be a red ball and there will be two teams playing,” he said. “You can name it whatever you want but it does not change the fact that this is another Test match.”

Meanwhile, Cook was confident of taking on India in their own backyard, saying his team gained valuable practice during the three warm-up games prior to the Test.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2012.