Xtra Time Web Desk: It seemed the Indian team management have made a strategical blunder yet again by playing four seamers in the ICC World Test Championship Final against Australia at the Oval which began from Wednesday. The Indian think tank led by captain Rohit Sharma and Head Coach Rahul Dravid decided to play four pacers in the playing XI for the WTC Final which got underway at the Oval. The likes of Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav both were included in the playing XI at the expense of experienced off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Captain Rohit Sharma won a very important toss and elected to bowl first but failed to capitalise after having the Australians in a spot at 76/3. But Australian vice-captain Steve Smith and Travis Head used the conditions perfectly suited for batting to post a huge total. Head scored his first hundred overseas while Smith also reached his half-century.
Ashwin was part of India’s playing XI when they last played the WTC final in 2021 against New Zealand in Southampton. Back then, India fielded three seamers and two spinners, while New Zealand played four specialist seamers and had a fifth option in allrounder Colin de Grandhomme. With so much rain and overcast conditions it would have been ideal for India to go in with an extra seamer but the Indian team management decided against.
Coming to the wicket at the Oval, it has traditionally helped the spinners. It seemed the Indian team management was influenced by the grass left on the 22 yards surface and also the fact that the test match was played in early June for the first time. It would have been ideal to go in with Ashwin considering the Australians have as many as four batters in the top order.
It’s still early days of the World Test Championship as today was the first day. It goes to be seen if the decision by the Indian team management a correct one or not.