ICC WTC Final: They can bowl well even on flatter decks; Ashish Nehra picks his Indian bowlers for the Final
Ashish Nehra voiced his thoughts on combinations Indian bowling unit can go with in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against New Zealand.
Former Indian pacer turned commentator Ashish Nehra expressed his views on ideal bowling combinations India can take the field to in the inaugural WTC Final against New Zealand to be played from June 18 to 22 in England. Nehra in conversation with The Telegraph, excerpts-
Nehra, 2011 World Cup winner said Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami can bowl on flat decks too.
“Of course, both India and New Zealand have very good fast bowlers. But if you look at our bowlers, Bumrah and Shami, they can bowl well even on flatter decks. Not just Bumrah and Shami but even Ishant is there. And looking at what he has achieved having played 100 Test matches, his presence is another strong point for India,” Nehra told.
Mohammed Siraj can be useful on green top England wicket, feels Nehra.
“If you come across a green top, then you certainly can think of including an extra pacer, which I feel should be Mohammed Siraj given how well he has been bowling. But otherwise, I think the bowling attack should be Ishant, Bumrah, and Shami as the three fast bowlers, with Ashwin and Jadeja as the spinners,” Nehra added.
“Of course, there’s still almost a month left for the final, and how each of the quicks fares in practice sessions, as well as their fitness levels, would also be taken into account before the XI is announced,” Nehra said.
Ravindra Jadeja’s and Ravichandran Ashwin’s runs lower down the order can be very useful observed Nehra having experience of 18 years of India.
“But the advantage of playing with this attack is that Ashwin and Jadeja can contribute with the bat too, and runs scored by the lower order turn out to be priceless. If Jadeja and Ashwin are in the XI, the team will have all bases covered in terms of bowling.”
India will play six Test matches in England including the World Test Championship Finals against New Zealand from June 18 to 22 followed by a five-match Test series against England in August-September.