"India will have a challenge in 5 Test matches" - Saba Karim on Rohit Sharma's side's road to the WTC final
Saba Karim feels Team India could face a challenge in five of their remaining seven Tests in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
The Indian team are currently placed fourth in the WTC points table. They will need to win the majority of their remaining fixtures to harbor hopes of reaching the final.
During a discussion on India News, Saba Karim was asked if Team India will need to win all their remaining seven Tests to ensure their spot in the WTC final. He responded:
"This is the best option, you don't have any other option. I feel India will have a challenge in five Test matches - the only Test that is going to be played in England and the four in the home series against Australia."
The former India cricketer highlighted that Rohit Sharma's side cannot take the Australians lightly. Saba Karim reasoned:
"Australia also has a strong team. Because they are playing Tests against Pakistan at the moment, they would have got more experience about the conditions and they will gain from that. Along with that, Australia has two spinners at the moment - Nathan Lyon and Swepson, who is a leg-spinner. I feel they would be well prepared when Australia travels to India."
Australia have drawn the first two Tests of the three-match series against Pakistan. They even dominated the second Test for the first few days but could not put the final nail in the coffin.
"There is a lot of difference in quality between our team and the Bangladesh players" - Saba Karim
Saba Karim reckons Team India will not be troubled much by Bangladesh. He explained:
"I feel we will see a challenge for India in these five Tests only. As far as India playing in Bangladesh, there is a lot of difference in quality between our team and the Bangladesh players."
The former India selector concluded by hoping that placid pitches are not prepared for the Test series against Australia. Saba Karim elaborated:
"There is no need for us to think about the other teams. We have to go towards our goal only. I feel the way we are performing and six matches are going to happen in the Indian subcontinent, the biggest thing is that we should get result-oriented wickets in India, which we are getting at the moment."
Team India might be slightly wary of playing against Australia on square turners. The Aussies trounced Virat Kohli's side on a spin-friendly pitch in Pune last time around.