WTC final: [Watch] Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Bumrah, Wagner & other India, New Zealand cricketers reveal their favorite Test players of all time
The ICC shared a clip on Twitter where Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara, Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Neil Wagner picked their favorite Test players of all time.
Sachin Tendulkar turned out to be the most popular pick, with the likes of Ashwin, Pujara, Ishant and Watling picking the Indian maestro as their favorite Test player. You can watch the full clip here:
Despite being an off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin revealed that he picked up the game of cricket because of Sachin Tendulkar.
"One of the reasosn why i got inspired to play the game. My first ever Test match that i watched live was where Sachin got a hundred in Chennai," Ashwin said in the clip shared by the ICC
India have gone in with two spinners - Ravichandran Ashwin & Ravindra Jadeja- for the WTC final
Team India announced their playing XI well in advance for the WTC final, and they went in with two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. The decision raised a few eyebrows with the weather conditions in Southampton seemingly looking more seamer-friendly.
New Zealand have taken a contrasting approach, going in without a specialist spinner for the WTC final.
Australian legend Shane Warne, meanwhile, believes the Kiwis have made a mistake by not going in with a spinner. Warne opines that the pitch will spin big as the game goes on, with footmarks already appearing on the surface. The former leg spinner added that India would be in the driver's seat if they could score more than 275-300 runs in the first innings.
With New Zealand having two left-arm seamers in their arsenal, Ravichandran Ashwin will get some footmarks to exploit when India come out to bowl later in the Test match.
As things stand, India are currently 146-3 with Virat Kohli at the crease with his deputy Ajinkya Rahane. It remains to be seen whether spinners can have their say in this Test match when the Men in Blue come out to bowl.