England white-ball coach Matthew Mott has hinted that Harry Brook could still be part of the World Cup squad when the final XV is submitted to the International Cricket Council on September 28.
Much like their English counterparts, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee may also need to do an introspection of their choices, especially the bowling combination. The remainder of the Asia Cup and the three ODIs at home against Australia could provide an insight into their calculations.
Neither Agarkar nor Rohit Sharma has been convincing in their logic to not pick an off-spinner in conditions that will favour the tweakers. The decision to bench Yuzvendra Chahal in the T20 World Cup in Australia when most teams reaped benefits by playing a wrist spinner is still fresh in memory.
The BCCI shortlisted the venues for India’s matches in the World Cup keeping in mind the team’s strengths and knowing well that slow and low spin-friendly wickets could benefit them. But the choice of spinners hasn’t quite been in sync with the conditions that will be on offer.
In their quest to shore up the lower order which in effect reflects a lack of confidence in the frontline batters, the selectors have included two left-arm spinners with similar skills — Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel — while ignoring Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravindra Jadeja. File photo
The world’s No.1 off-spinner has ceased to enjoy the trust of the team management, be it the World Test Championship final or the World Cup at home. Ashwin’s last ODI was more than 20 months ago in Paarl, South Africa, though the think-tank thought it necessary to play him in all six matches of the T20 World Cup in Australia only a year ago.
The emphasis has been on batting depth and most forget that Ashwin has five centuries in Tests and a half-century in the 50-over format, a rarity among India’s lower-order. The ODIs are not about the slambang approach associated with T20s and do favour Ashwin’s style of batting.
There’s no better wicket-taking spinner than Ashwin in world cricket now and his sorcery could benefit India in the crucial middle overs. The 36-year-old is also proficient at bowling with the new ball, a role he performed to perfection as a rookie against the West Indies and in the quarter final versus Australia during India’s successful campaign in 2011.
Ashwin’s prowess is an enigma to most overseas teams on Indian pitches and could serve as an inspirational tool to provide the breakthroughs and stem the flow of runs. The off-spinner’s economy of 4.94 is on par with Jadeja (4.90) and Axar (4.51).
Nothing can be said with conviction but the conditions might force the team to go in with three spinners, especially in places like Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow or Mumbai. Playing both Jadeja and Axar may not deliver the desired results as the record books suggest — India have lost five of the eight matches where the pair have bowled in tandem.
Ashwin is a nemesis for left-handers which could work in India’s favour when confronted by the likes of Australia and New Zealand. Jadeja remains an automatic choice at No.7, but Ashwin’s experience can help provide the assurance in a crisis.
While both Jadeja and Axar excel at putting a leash on the run-rate, India will have to rely on Kuldeep’s wicket-taking skills in the middle overs. If Kuldeep fails in his endeavour, it will be left to a Jasprit Bumrah or a Mohammed Shami to come up with something special. But given the circumstances, it is uncertain if both will be regulars in the line-up.
Having a finger spinner is always an advantage in terms of control and deception though former head coach Ravi Shastri recently said that Kuldeep can “take the ball away from the left-hander”, making the off-spinner’s role insignificant.
If the ploy is to play on turners and pin down the opposition, it is wise to not take such shortcuts and opt for the best. Batting depth is an issue for Team India but it’s be hard to believe that Axar will provide better cover than Ashwin in the 50-over format.
Bold, aggressive moves and out-of-the-box thinking are essentials to carry a champion side. India’s provisional squad doesn’t provide the vision and aptitude needed to explore options.
