IND vs ENG, World Cup 2023: Are India gearing up for a sixth-bowling option in Lucknow?

India are looking to bolster their bowling unit in the absence of Hardik Pandya as the all-rounder is all set to miss his second successive game of the World Cup due to a ligament injury.

The big-ticket clash between the hosts and the struggling defending champions, England, in Lucknow on Sunday.

India played an extra seamer in Mohammed Shami and dropped their all-rounder Shardul Thakur for their win over New Zealand on Sunday, October 22. Suryakumar Yadav played as the extra batter as India outclassed New Zealand by 4 wickets, successfully chasing down 274 in Dharamsala to extend their winning run to 5 matches in the World Cup.

It was the first time in the tournament India went with only 5 bowlers as they did not have Hardik Pandya, who was flown to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru after he suffered a ligament injury in the game against Bangladesh. Hardik bowled only 3 deliveries on October 19 in Pune before he picked up the injury. Virat Kohli completed Hardik’s over, chipping in with 3 deliveries in what was his first bowling effort in a World Cup match since 2015.

India and England are likely to be greeted with a spin-bowling friendly pitch at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow. However, pacers have also been among the wickets in Lucknow in the three games that have been played in the World Cup 2023 so far.

India have the option of playing R Ashwin as the extra spinners in the line-up but they might have to drop a pacer to do so as the team management has been keen on having batting firepower.

‘EVERYBODY WANTED TO BE A BOWLER’
As it turned out, India were readying some sixth-bowling options as quite a few of their batters rolled their arms over during a training session in Lucknow on Thursday.

Team India arrived in Lucknow on Wednesday after having had a break in Dharamsala. And there was a bit of fun in the training session with batters rolling their arms over. Virat Kohli looked sharp as he bowled to Shubman Gil in the nets while the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav had fun, running in to bowl with their non-bowling arm.

Jasprit Bumrah tried bowling left-arm spin while Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav also tried their hand at bowling.

While it did not look serious business at the nets, India might be hoping to use the likes of Kohli to step in with a couple of overs, if needed.

Former India selector Sarandeep Singh highlighted the need for India to find an extra bowling option until Hardik Pandya recovers and gets back into action.

“‘There should be six bowling options with or without Hardik. Other teams have started to up their game. What if Bumrah has a bad day. Kuldeep got hit the other day but he bounced back. Teams have not been able score 350 against us but it can happen. ‘If you are not going to get a sixth bowler, then you will need someone like Kohli to chip in with two of three overs. India must plan for all scenarios and I am sure they are doing that,” Sarandeep told news agency PTI.

India are unlikely to rush Hardik Pandya back into action as the all-rounder was set to miss their game against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on November 2. India have one foot in the semi-final already, having won 5 out of 5 and they are unlikely to put pressure on Hardik before the knockout stages of the tournament.