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Ishant Sharma in Test
The Indian team is gearing up to play against New Zealand in the World Test Championship final at Southampton. The title match would start on 18th June and conclude on 22nd June. While the Kiwis are playing against England in a Test series, India is practicing for the WTC final with intrasquad matches.
At present, the biggest talking point in the cricketing world is India’s team combination for the WTC final. Virat Kohli has a huge range of players eager to play in the championship match.
One of the biggest dilemmas for India is whether the team should play with three pacers and one spinner or three pacers and two spinners. According to experts, the pitch in Southampton is expected to support seam and swing bowling. But playing an extra pacer would weaken the Indian batting lineup.
Some of the players who would probably not be part of the Indian playing XI for the WTC final are as follow
Ishant Sharma
Even though Ishant is the most experienced pacer on the team, he could have to sit out for the WTC final. If India decides to play three pacers then Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami would get included in the playing XI.
Then the competition for the third slot would be between Ishant Sharma and Siraj. But for the final, Virat Kohli would probably pick Siraj because of his x-factor and ability to pick important wickets. He had successfully displayed both qualities in Australia and against England at home.
On the other hand, Ishant Sharma had struggled with his fitness in the recent past. So his chances of getting selected for the playing XI is less. Moreover, in Sharma’s absence, Siraj grabbed his opportunities well and proved himself capable of playing in Tests cricket.
Axar Patel
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel had an impressive Test debut against England in the home series. He claimed 27 wickets in 3 Tests at an average of 10.59. He had four five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket match haul.
Given his impressive debut, he should be given a chance to play in the WTC final. But that would probably not happen as he was only allowed to play in Jadeja’s absence from the team. During the home series against England, Jadeja was out with an injury. But Ravindra Jadeja is back after making a complete recovery and should get sleeted ahead of Patel. Moreover, Jadeja is an experienced player with better batting skills than Axar Patel.