When playing Australia in the World Test Championship final at the Oval next month, Ravi Shastri, a former head coach, feels that India should play to its strengths by starting both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
The Indian side won a Test match at the Oval in 2021 while being coached by Shastri, partly thanks to the efforts of their pace attack, which included Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, and Shardul Thakur in addition to Rohit Sharma, who was then the vice captain.Shastri stated that the absence of Bumrah will hamper India's chances in the prestigious WTC Final and that they should offset it by selecting another spinner to make up for the dearth of quicks.
"India did very well in England last time round because you had Bumrah, you had Shami, you had Shardul Thakur, and you had Mohammed Siraj," Shastri said in ICC Review. "So you had four fast bowlers. One being an all-rounder there, Shardul. "That combination is a very good combination in England. Especially from India's point of view. It allows someone like Rohit Sharma to control the game far better. At times in England, you need to slow it down as well. And suddenly it can get overcast," he said.
For Shastri, it is important to pick players as per conditions and current form. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are a couple of years older and might be a few yards slower compared to 2021. "You have got horses for courses, you've got all bases covered. But then if the quality is not good in your fast-bowling attack. If you think the guys are older, they are not as quick as they used to be, and the form is a little doubtful, then you play that second spinner because Ashwin is quality, as is Jadeja." Fresh from playing in the IPL, fitness would be a big concern for the pacers as will be the fickle English weather, Shastri feels.
Excited about the return of Rahane, Shastri said the 34-year-old had earned his place in the WTC Final."The way he's (Rahane) timed the ball, the way he's looking at T20 from a different perspective. He's not looking at the number of runs, he's looking at the number of balls he's playing as against that. What is the strike rate with those number of balls he's played, which is good and which augurs well," Shastri said of Rahane.
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