The World Test Championship (WTC) final is coming closer. The closer it gets, the more intense becomes the speculation over India’s possible combination. It’s going to be in the early part of summer in England. India have not played over there at this time very often. So what should they do in terms of choosing the XI?
The batters, in all probability, pick themselves. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane are certainties. The wicketkeeper will be either KS Bharat or Ishan Kishan. The real headache will come when it comes to the bowlers. Four pacers? The mind says yes. Early English summer, the ball will wobble in the air, so what else?
Hang on. This matter does not end there. Rather, it starts there. Mohammad Shami, Mohammad Siraj are sure-shot entries in the XI. Who after them? That is where the brainstorming begins.
The options are Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat. All are very able bowlers, who have proven themselves in whatever opportunities they have got. It’s a tough call to pick two from the three, even though Thakur has delivered match-winning performances in England.
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Now, think of this. You have Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the squad. The perception is that only one of the spinners will be fielded. This is not completely unfounded as a notion. In conditions where the ball is expected to swing, why would you go in with two spinners? But then, think of your strengths. Ashwin and Jadeja are both established all-rounders.
Ashwin, especially, has a great record against two of Australia’s finest batters — Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. He is an extremely intelligent bowler who has worked specifically on how to sort and get these two out. If Jadeja is India’s first-choice spinner, as it seems to be away from home, how wise is it to leave Ashwin out? Should one play to the conditions or play to one’s strengths?
It’s a tricky call at the moment. No doubt conditions will play a big part in determining the XI. But India will have to be flexible in their approach and not go by the book. Ashwin and Jadeja may not extract much from the pitch, but what can be guaranteed is they will not leak runs. They will keep things in check. This cannot be said of the pace-bowling alternatives with the same conviction.
Ashwin and Jadeja will strengthen the batting. They will also benefit if there is bounce on the pitch. Both have commendable records against Australia. So why not consider these two instead of blindly going for four pacers? This is a question the Indian team management might consider as June 7 comes closer. It’s not an obvious option, but something worth pondering. Sometimes, thinking out of the box makes sense. It can catch the opposition off-guard.
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