ravi shastri wants ashwin and jadeja in playing 11 for wtc final

New Delhi: Former head coach Ravi Shastri believes that the Indian team should include both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the playing XI for the World Test Championship Final (WTC Final) against Australia (AUS vs IND) at The Oval next month. While Shastri was the coach, the Indian team won the Test match at the Oval in 2021 but in that fast bowlers Jaspreet Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Umesh Yadav and Shardul Thakur apart from the then vice-captain Rohit Sharma’s century innings played an important role.

Ravi Shastri, while picking his playing XI for the WTC final, said Bumrah’s absence has dealt a blow to India’s chances and the team should go with another spinner. Shastri said in the ICC review, ‘India did well in England last time because then the team had Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj. In this way you had four fast bowlers out of which there was an all-rounder in the form of Shardul.

Along with this, according to former Indian coach Shastri, players should be selected by looking at the conditions and their current form. He said, ‘If your fast bowling attack is not very good. If you feel that some of the fast bowlers have aged and cannot bowl as fast as before, then you should go with two spinners as both Ashwin and Jadeja are quality spinners.

Apart from Ashwin and Jadeja, India has also kept a third spinner in the form of Akshar Patel. Shastri said, ‘If the pitch is hard and dry, then you must go with two spinners. The weather plays an important role in England, but I think it’s sunny there now, but don’t know the weather in England. So it would be good here that India go with two spinners, two fast bowlers and one all-rounder. Apart from this, he should include five batsmen and one wicketkeeper in the team.

Shastri said, ‘So if the conditions are normal at the Oval, this will be my team combination. You have to field such players who can beat Australia. As far as the wicketkeeper is concerned, Shastri has preferred Kona Bharath over Ishaan Kishan.

Here is the Indian playing XI that Shastri has picked for the WTC final: Rohit Sharma (Mastan), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, KS Bharat (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
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