The way most players performed in two warm-up games, one can say that India have the edge over Pakistan, but it has also given skipper Virat Kohli a difficult task of picking right combination
Virat Kohli during a practice session on the eve of India’s Champions Trophy tie vs Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday. PIC/AFP
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Birmingham: Both history and form are with India as they take on Pakistan in the Champions Trophy here today. The way most of the Indian players performed in the two warm-up games, one can say that India have the edge over their rivals, but it has also given skipper Virat Kohli a difficult task of picking the right combination. There is a problem of plenty for the think-tank and making the right decision would be crucial to the outcome in the much-anticipated match.
For a change, the Indian pace battery has been really impressive. But the big question for Kohli is whether to go in with three pace bowlers and two spinners or play Hardik Pandya, a seamer who can bat, at the expense of a spinner. Umesh Yadav has improved leaps and bounds in the last one year. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is wily as ever and Jasprit Bumrah's yorkers remain deadly. Mohammed Shami, if he can remain fit, provides great support to any combination that Kohli may opt for. Among the spinners, no one can discount R Ashwin's experience though he has not played too much cricket lately. Though Ashwin is a better batsman than Ravindra Jadeja, the southpaw can be handy as he takes the ball away from the right-handers and he can keep bowling a nagging line even if there is no assistance for the slower bowlers. With the weatherman predicting some rain, one can expect conditions to be damp and overcast. In that case, playing an additional seamer would be logical.
"It's a good headache to have as most of the players are in form. We have to decide whether to have an extra seamer or a spinner. The way all the bowlers have performed it is not easy to decide. But that is a good omen for the team that we have so many options," skipper Kohli said.
Kohli also said that despite all the hype in the media, they are taking the match against Pakistan as any other game, but added, "In Champions Trophy there are no easy matches. Be it Pakistan or any other team, it's paramount to implement the plans, only then can one expect to outdo the rivals." The think-tank would also be mulling the option of playing Dinesh Karthik ahead of Yuvraj Singh, who did not play in the warm-up ties because of viral fever. But if Yuvi recovers then he is most likely to get the nod because of his vast experience.
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