
Captain Anil Kumble will get one more day to regain full fitness as a nervous India go into the third and final cricket Test against South Africa in Kanpur on Fridayseeking to capitalise on a pitch tailor-made to suit the home team8217;s spinners.
The Indians, who suffered a humiliating drubbing in Ahmedabad, need to win the crucial match to level the three-Test series 1-1 and have been provided with a dry and grass-less track to plot South Africa8217;s downfall at the Green Park stadium.
But the fitness of Kumble, laid low by a groin injury, is a worrying factor for the hosts and the Indian captain has decided to wait till tomorrow to decide on his participation.
8220;I will take a call tomorrow morning. I am not yet fully fit and I will see how I feel tomorrow,8221; Kumble said.
There was, however, some good news for the Indians with pace sensation Ishant sharma, who missed the first two Tests because of injuries, being declared fit to bolster the fast bowling department.
Although the pitch has been designed to help the hosts, there is also a risk that the ploy could boomerang against the Indians as a strip with uneven bounce could be exploited by the South African pacemen who have proved quite a handful for the home team. The Indians are toying with the idea of going into the match with three specialist spinners and a lot will depend on whether Kumble is declared fit or not. Kumble, if declared fit, and Harbhajan Singh have a big role to play while the third spinner8217;s place may go to young leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.