Thursday 15 / May / 2025
As India and England get ready for the third test starting on Wednesday, this Test has a lot of significance. First it will be played on the newly built Motera Stadium which is a state of art stadium built with lot of Precision and has the capacity to accommodate 110,000 spectators, which is the world's biggest stadium till date for Cricket. Keeping in mind the covid restrictions, 55000 people will be allowed to see this game and tickets for this much anticipated match were sold weeks ago before. The second most important point for this test match that it's a Pink Ball Test match which will be played under lights and India's last experience of playing the Pink Ball Test has not yet sunk in as Ind were bowled out at Adelaide for 36 which is their lowest total and the scars of that match will always be there specially with Virat Kohli who was the captain of that I'll fated match. Even though Ind did bounce back in that series against Aus after that match but I can promise all the players who were part of that game will still be nursing their wounds which might be still hurting them from inside.
Virat Kohli and His boys will waiting to get their record straight in this Pink Ball Test match where a lot is at stakes. First the series is tied at 1/1 and Ind can't afford to lose another game as it would cost them a place in the World Championship of Cricket. Secondly, Ind would be mindful of the fact that the Pink Ball swings more than the traditional red ball and Eng definitely would bank on the huge experience of jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad who have 1000 wickets between them. To add to it, the pace of Jofra Archer who would be raring to be back after missing the second test match due to injury.
Jofra Archer after seeing the grass on the wicket went on to tweet "It's show time" but I believe the grass will be shaved off tomorrow which will not be a surprise that it would help the spinners and both Ashwin and Axar Patel will be hoping they get the same help as they got in the second test match and Eng Batsman were clueless against the class of both the spinners. The only thing which might hamper the spinners is the due which might make the ball to skid on and might make batting easy but due is as unpredictable as how your first date turns out to be.
Virat Kohli has not scored a hundred for the whole of 2020 and also in the two test matches played this year and would not be surprised he finally gets one in this most awaited Test match which will not lift him but whole of India who will be hoping that their champion batsman comes good.
Come Wednesday, the 24th of Feb, all eyes will be on the Motera Stadium and of course on the Pink Ball how it behaves in twilight.
The Indian team would definitely like to remove the badge of 36 not out in as it's a scar which is like Amitabh Bachhan had it in the movie Deewar.
