WTC Final: India will miss Hardik Pandya - Venkatapathy Raju

Hardik Pandya bowls on Day One of the fourth Test against England at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton in 2018. Pic/AFP

There will be no margin for error when Team India set foot on the Ageas Bowl turf in Southampton for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand on June 18.

They emerged triumphant irrespective of the conditions during their 17-match WTC journey which began with the West Indies tour in August 2019 and ended with the home series against England on March 6.

Former national selector and India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju felt Kohli & Co may miss fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the all-important final.
"He would have provided better balance with two spinners and two seamers [already in]. Since we don't have him, it would be interesting. The spin department is not at a concern at all. Fast bowling-wise too, we have seen what they are capable of [in Australia]," Raju told mid-day from Hyderabad on Monday.

Venkatapathy Raju

Pandya, who last played a Test on the England tour of 2018, hasn't bowled regularly in limited-overs cricket. Apart from rolling his arm over in the last ODI series against England, Pandya didn't bowl in the suspended IPL-14 for Mumbai Indians.

‘Leave it to the selectors'

Should the selectors have taken a chance with Pandya even if he could bowl 10 overs in a Test? "We don't know whether he would have been able to do it or not. I am sure the selectors would have done their homework. We should leave it to them. The team's very strong. It's just that two good all-rounders would have made a huge difference [where the combination is concerned]," reckoned Raju.

"Shardul Thakur has the potential to be a good fast-bowling all-rounder. So, for the future, it is important we have some good fast bowling all-rounders to choose from," said Raju, who played 28 Tests and 58 ODIs. He felt India should go in with their senior-most team as experience will play a major role in handling the fickle English weather.

Experience matters

"Three fast bowlers are good to go with. With Rishabh Pant doing well at No. 6, there is scope to go with two spinners, which should be Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

"Experience is crucial as they can adapt to the situation and conditions quickly. The combination also has to be spot on. We cannot take New Zealand lightly," reckoned Raju.

India come into the WTC final on the back of scintillating Test series victories in Australia and against England at home. India kept their hopes alive of qualifying for the final with a stunning 2-1 win over Australia, achieved with a depleted team. Facing a challenge to beat England by at least a 2-1 series-margin, Virat Kohli's team toppled Joe Root's men 3-1 to top the WTC points table with 72.2 per cent. New Zealand, who played only 11 matches in their WTC cycle, were second with 70 per cent.

Quality practice, a must

Raju stressed that India must get quality practice matches before the final. "In England, the conditions will be different. India start as favourites, but it is important to get some match practice before the final. New Zealand are already there and will be playing two Test matches [against England]. It will be serious match practice for them. They will be in a different mindset. Hopefully, the Indian team get at least two practice matches before the final," concluded Raju.

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12
No. of Tests India won in their 17-match World Test C'ship cycle