Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who have played all six games, will continue to be India’s spin keys
India opener Shubman Gill (left) and No. 3 Virat Kohli bat in adjoining nets during a practice session at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday
Captain Rohit Sharma could play three spinners against Sri Lanka today in India’s quest to be unbeaten in the seventh game of this World Cup. Three spinners would mean off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin gets his second game of the tournament after figuring in the playing XI against Australia in Chennai on October 8. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who have played all six games, will continue to be India’s spin keys.
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Different combinations
“All sorts of combinations are possible. You can still play with three spinners and two seamers if need be. In this World Cup, you’ve seen spinners are actually the ones who are stopping that run flow in the middle overs,” Rohit said during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, when asked about the possibility of playing three spinners.
With pace bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya still recovering from his ankle injury and not being available for today’s game, the three spinners combination could help Rohit get the balance right. He said: “I’m keeping my options open whether we have Hardik or no. If the situation demands three spinners, we will play three spinners.”
When asked for his assessment of the Wankhede pitch, Rohit said: “Honestly, I don’t want to say what we’re going to do tomorrow. But yeah, look, as Indian players, we’ve played in these conditions. We batted first. We’ve chased targets. This is a ground where things can be quite unpredictable at times. There’s so much in it for the bowlers as well. So, you can see, probably a top spell coming from the bowlers, rattling the opposition. That can happen. As you say, it’s a high-scoring ground, but at the same time, if the bowlers put the ball in the right areas, it can be slightly difficult. So, everyone gets value here,” he said.
‘India’s bowling is too strong’
Meanwhile, SL head coach Chris Silverwood admitted that India’s strong bowling unit will be a big challenge for his batsmen. “If you look at that bowling attack and you watch them [India bowlers] operate, it’s a very strong bowling attack. I think any team in the world would want an attack like that. But we see that as a great challenge for our guys, an opportunity to play against the best,” said Silverwood.
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