Former England veteran spinner Monty Panesar believes that despite the match being held at the Oval in June, India should field both spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the World Test Championship final (WTC Final) against Australia. The WTC final will be played from June 7 to 11.
Test match will be played at Oval in June for the first time in 140 years
For the first time in the 140-year history of the Test match, a Test match is being played at the Oval in June when the pitch will be green and fresh. Usually the touring team plays its last match of the series at The Oval which falls in August or September when the pitch is dry and favors the spinners.
India should go with two spinners
Panesar told PTI, ‘This is such a pitch on which you would like to land with two spinners. If the ball takes turn then the spinners will also get bounce. I believe that the wicket will be flat and in such a situation playing with two spinners will help India. We have seen that Australia have a lot of trouble against spinners, especially against Indian spinners.
Indian spinners will get help on the pitch
Playing two spinners in the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton two years ago did not pay off for India, but Panesar believes that the Rohit Sharma-led team will benefit from fielding two spinners on this ground.
Panesar said, ‘The weather is hot and we saw in the T20 Blast in London that the ball is taking turn. They will also trim the grass as they would like the match to last for at least four days.
Umesh gets a chance with Shami and Siraj
In the fast bowling attack, Panesar said that Umesh Yadav should be selected along with Mohammed Shami and Shami, Siraj. He said, ‘The Indian team is now strong on every front. He also has additional batting options in the form of Ashwin and Jadeja, so Umesh should be chosen as the third fast bowler. The captain can ask him to bowl the first five overs at a speed of 140 plus.
Pujara will become the X factor of Team India
Panesar believes that the X factor for India will be Cheteshwar Pujara, the captain of Sussex. He said, ‘The Indian top order is in form. The conditions here are similar to Wankhede Stadium. According to me the X factor would be Pujara as he has done brilliantly in county cricket for Sussex. He can be the architect of the batting. His defense is strong and he can face the Australian bowlers well when the pitch is flat.
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