Last Update on: September 15th, 2023 at 11:18 am
Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar feels that the Rohit Sharma-led team should field an unchanged line-up in their final Super Four match against Bangladesh. Sanjay Bangar highlighted that the players had a two-day break after playing three consecutive days.
The Men in Blue advanced to the final match of the Asia Cup 2023 after winning their first two Super Four matches against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. Team India will take on Bangladesh at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, September 15.
The Bowlers Didn’t Need To Do Too Much Work – Sanjay Bangar
During a discussion on Star Sports, Sanjay Bangar said that the bowlers, including Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Siraj, didn’t need to bowl their full quotas in recent matches.
“Rohit Sharma will definitely play. Shubman Gill is a youngster, so he will play. Virat Kohli likes this ground a lot, so you can’t ask Virat Kohli to sit out on this ground. The players at No. 4 and No. 5 are trying to cement their places and will want to play.”
“The bowlers didn’t need to do too much work. Jasprit Bumrah didn’t have to bowl his entire quota of 10 overs in both matches. Similarly, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Siraj also didn’t have to do that,” Bangar said as quoted by Sportskeeda.
During the press conference, team bowling coach Paras Mhambrey hinted at the possibility of giving chances to the players against Bangladesh as it is a dead rubber. The Rohit Sharma-led team secured their berth in the final, while Bangladesh was eliminated from the tournament.
Will Be Better If They Play With The Same Players – Sanjay Bangar
Sanjay Bangar emphasized the importance of maintaining the same players and highlighted that the players’ rhythm should not be disrupted ahead of the final game.
“There is always a slight question mark on the fast bowlers in terms of workload management but considering the sort of combination that has been created, with three spinners and three fast bowlers, and that the batters are in rhythm, there is very little chance for us to see any different player.”
“It will be better if they play with the same players. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma will not want the players’ rhythm to break. There was a two-day break as well. They played three days consecutively but after that they would have got a good break of two days,” Bangar conluded.
Shreyas Iyer, who was ruled out of the last two matches due to back spasms, had an extensive practice session on Thursday. The right-handed batsman could replace Ishan Kishan in the playing XI if he is available for selection in the upcoming game.