Did India commit a blunder in packing their Champions Trophy squad with five spin bowlers? Now it appears that there is increasing worry among fans in which perhaps too many spinners are brought by Rohit Sharma-led side and in their place, one could have fitted another batter or pacer to Dubai where they are set to play all their matches of the ICC tournament commencing February 20.
The 15-man squad of India has Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Varun Chakararavarthy.
A former national selector told news agency PTI that unlike Sharjah; Dubai’s pitch has but much more carry, and pacers have thus been able to perform, which is why Pakistan has also opted for a greater squad of pacers compared to spinners.
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“He also said: The Dubai surface has more carry than, say, in Sharjah, and the pacers here have found some good success. That’s why Pakistan has picked more pacers in their squad, though they are supposed to play only a couple of matches here,” the former selector told PTI.
But former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has given a positive mustard seed twist to the selection call by pointing out that three of the five spinners are all-rounders who can bowl as well as bat with the ball.
“More than five spinners, these are allrounders who can bat and bowl. Their all-round abilities ensure a longer tail and, thereby, you can bat deep,” Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by The Times of India. “That will help in Dubai where conditions are really very much like India. Allrounders, being so important, we have quality options.”
“I just want to see how Varun goes in ODIs. He does well in the T20 format at home, but in ODIs, you’re talking 10 overs,” he added.
The unyielding Mohammed Shami will lead India’s pace attack along with allrounder Hardik Pandya, and with support from Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
It is a Group A affair for the Rohit Sharma men where Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh grace the tournament setup.
