WTC Final: Did India miss a trick by not playing another specialist batsman?
It's advantage New Zealand as the World Test Championship (WTC) moves to Day 4 in Southampton. After dismissing India for 217, a Devon Conway fifty set the tone for what appears to be a promising first innings for the Kiwis.
Pacer Kyle Jamieson was the standout performer after he finished with 5/31 and pegged India on the backfoot after Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the ship on Day 2. Jamieson accounted for the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah.
That India went for three seamers on a swinging deck shouldn't come as a surprise. However, in adding two spinners, they may have missed a trick by not playing a specialist batsman.
WTC Final: Should India have played an extra batsman?
Ideally, yes. It wouldn't have been a bad move considering the bowling attack India went with. While this may have meant sacrificing Ravindra Jadeja, it would have made sense to keep pace at one end, while Ravichandran Ashwin would operate from the other.
Perhaps Hanuma Vihari or KL Rahul just before Pant may have lent more stability to the order considering the top order wobble.
With the openers failing to convert starts, Kohli and Rahane dismissed in quick time, the onus falls on a young Pant to shepherd the lower order - something he will get better at over the course of his career.
For now, the rationale behind picking two spinners is the fact that Jadeja can bat. However, another batsman in the fold might have helped them get a better total than the under par one.
With Ashwin showing there's something on the deck for spinners, Jadeja's spell becomes all the more integral if India plan on winning the inaugural WTC.
To back the argument, we'll have to take a quick look at what Jamieson had to stay after stumps were called.
"Think a bit under par, bowling friendly conditions [but] still runs to be had, put away the bad ball. I think 217 was under what we thought," the quick opined.
Much of India's confidence in their batting stems from the world-class lineup they have. However, an extra batsman for the WTC final would have bolstered their chances of winning a bit more.
Catch live updates during the WTC final by clicking here.
Read: Looking forward for Shikhar Dhawan's captaincy! - Yuvraj Singh in an exclusive Interview with SK