Steven Finn has declared himself fit for selection for the third Test and looks set to displace Stuart Broad in England's team.
Finn, who suffered a thigh strain in the first warm-up game of the tour,
bowled two spells in the nets at training at Eden Gardens on Monday
without discomfort and then stated: "If I'm needed on Wednesday, then
I'll be ready to go. I feel in good rhythm. I'm in a good place."
Finn could face a tough return at Eden Gardens. For all the talk of the
pitch - and the Eden Park curator, Prabir Mukherjee, has certainly
talked a good game
over recent days - it seems that the India captain, MS Dhoni, is going
to receive exactly what he requested. Recently used - the last Ranji
Trophy match on it ended on November 20 - it will offer, on the evidence
of the practice pitches on the same square, far more to spinners than
seamers. The England seamers struggled to get the ball to bounce above
hip height in the nets which, according to Mukherjee, are much like the
Test pitch. Finn may have extra pace but, on such surfaces, his control
and skill will be even more important.
"If I'm picked as part of a two-man seam attack, I might be used in a
strike-bowling capacity," Finn said. "There is a little bit of pressure,
but you don't change your plans or the way that you bowl. Just because
you're being used as a strike bowler doesn't mean you start bowling
bumpers and yorkers all the time searching for wickets. You still have
to have a degree of patience and use your skills wisely."
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