WTC Final: "Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill will have to put a price on their wickets" - Sourav Ganguly
Former India captain and current BCCI President Sourav Ganguly has opined that openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will be crucial to India’s fortunes in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
According to Ganguly, Rohit and Gill will have to fight it out against the new ball and not give their wickets away easily.
Rohit has played one Test in England, but this will be his first visit to the country as a Test opener. As for young Gill, this is his maiden tour of England.
Speaking to India Today, Sourav Ganguly admitted that the Indian openers would have to make an impact in the WTC final for India to do well.
"Opening becomes a very important aspect when you tour abroad. When we toured Australia, England and Pakistan, we played well because we had openers like Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra, who used to play out the new ball and make it old. When your middle-order batsmen come out to bat at 30 for 2 then it becomes really difficult for a side to compete."
Ganguly, who scored a famous hundred on Test debut at Lord’s in 1996, further said:
"This tour therefore, will be very crucial for openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Not just the WTC final but also the 5 Tests against England. They will have to play out the new ball and put a price on their wickets. If they are able to do that then they will be able to set the game for the batsmen coming after them like Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and India's best batsman on current form Rishabh Pant."
According to the 48-year-old, Rohit and Gill will need to bat as long as possible to take the shine off the ball in the WTC final.
"The game has changed over the last 15-20 years, teams are scoring at a faster rate now because batsmen play a lot of shots and don't take a lot of time. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will have to find ways of playing out the new ball and make it old enough. It's not that the old ball won't swing in England, the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult will get movement with the old ball as well that's why I feel the opening partnership will be very crucial for the Indian team."
Batting a concern for India concedes Ganguly ahead of WTC final
On paper, India has a solid batting line-up for the WTC final. However, Ganguly admitted that India’s batting has struggled in the past in England, which is definitely a matter of concern.
Since winning the Test series under Rahul Dravid in 2007, India has lost three consecutive Test series in England - 2011, 2014, and 2018.
Ganguly stated that India would have to post totals of around 350 in the WTC final and the following Tests against England.
"Batting has been a concern for Team India in England. We made over 450 runs at Trent Bridge (2007), so when you make big runs the opposition comes under pressure. Even the bowlers get a total that they can defend when the team scores big. India should forget the past, the lack of big totals on their previous tours. If you score over 300-350 runs only then you can compete in a Test match in England. Therefore, I feel it is crucial for India to bat accordingly in English conditions."
A sneak peek of the surface for the WTC final was revealed by former England women’s cricketer Isa Guha on Twitter on Thursday.
At an initial glance, the pitch appears to have a green covering. It remains to be seen whether it will be shaved off ahead of the WTC final.