2. Untested new ball combination
One of the many responsibilities that Ishant Sharma had in the Test team was opening the bowling. With his ability to take the ball away from both right and left handers and extract extra bounce courtesy of his height, he was a menace even if conditions weren’t always conducive to fast bowling.
With Ishant being unavailable for the first Test, India will not only have to find a replacement but also will have a fresh new ball combination. Although Umesh Yadav, Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have all taken the new ball for India in Tests, it was almost always Ishant at the other end taking the new ball with them.
While Shami is certain to start, he is just coming back from injury and while Bhuvi is a better new ball bowler, it looks like that Umesh will get the nod thanks to his extra pace and that means India will have two bowlers, who might go for runs and let the opponents get off to a good start, even if they pick up wickets.
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