Will India miss a pace-bowling all-rounder in the ICC WTC Final?
Cricket fans and experts have already begun weighing in on India's playing XI for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. There have been discussions around the opening combination, batting order and bowlers India should select for the crunch clash.
While players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Shami have been fixtures in the playing XI over the last few years, doubts still remain about the selection of other players. This problem specifically extends to the lack of a genuine pace bowling all-rounder in the squad.
Barring Shardul Thakur, who scored a half-century against Australia earlier this year, none of the Indian pacers are valuable contributors to the bat. Thakur, however, hasn't found a place in the 15-member squad for the WTC final. India is likely to choose at least one pacer out of Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Siraj to partner Shami and Bumrah.
If India select four seamers for the WTC final, they will be placing an additional strain on their batting line-up. The dilemma forces you to wonder about the potential impact an all-around seam bowling option could have had in these conditions.
Will India miss a fast-bowling allrounder in the WTC Final?
The curator for the WTC final has declared that he intends to provide a surface with "pace, bounce, and carry." These conditions are bound to assist quick bowlers.
Historically, too, the inclusion of four pacers has assisted teams playing at Southampton. Last year, the West Indies defeated England at Southampton by following that strategy. In the next series against Pakistan, England was able to enforce a follow-on with the help of their bowling attack featuring four pacers and one spinner.
The presence of a fourth seamer helps the side with the rotation of fast bowlers. However, as stated above, India will find it tough to fit in four pacers in their line-up for the WTC final without weakening their batting.
There also aren't many proven options in the Indian squad. Neither Bhuvneshwar Kumar nor Hardik Pandya have made it into the touring party for the WTC final. India's never-ending search for the next Kapil Dev led them to the latter, a swashbuckling batter who could bowl at a decent pace.
He was deemed good enough to be selected for the overseas tours of South Africa and England in 2018. Though his stats didn't set the world on fire, his performances showed promise.
However, Pandya's bowling capabilities have been affected of late. The all-rounder suffered a back injury during the 2018 Asia Cup that required him to get a medical procedure done. Post the operation, Pandya has hardly bowled for his IPL side Mumbai Indians, or for India. Ultimately, his exclusion from the squad for the WTC final did not come as a shock to anyone.
However, the exclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has previously excelled in English conditions, from the squad for the WTC final surprised quite a few. He recently clarified that he wishes to serve the team across formats but perhaps his lack of match fitness and the simultaneous rise of other quicker pace bowling options weighed down on his past record.
The fact remains that India will be without a pace-bowling all-rounder down the order for the WTC final. While Ravichandran Ashwin can be expected to bolster the lower order as he has done on multiple occasions, the extra pace option would have been invaluable in English conditions.
New Zealand have a couple of solid options in their ranks, and are likely to make use of them. Colin De Grandhomme's selection remains a doubt, but Kyle Jamieson will almost certainly make the playing eleven for the WTC final.
Matt Henry, the Kiwi paceman, also averages 18.15 with the bat while Tim Southee has five Test half centuries. Given India's repeated struggles with cleaning up the lower order in recent times, the Black Caps pacers will fancy their chances at scoring some valuable extra runs in the WTC final - a luxury that India seemingly don't have in their own batting line-up.