Ravichandran Ashwin leaks India's secret plan to dismiss Travis Head in Champions Trophy semi-final
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Legendary India offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin has revealed a perfect plan for the Men in Blue to get rid of the dangerous Travis Head during their semi-final of the Champions Trophy against Australia in Dubai.
Ravichandran Ashwin has advised the captain Rohit Sharma to give the new ball to Varun Chakravarthy and have a go at Travis Head during the initial overs of the innings. Chakravarthy showed that he is in fine form with the ball during the last match against New Zealand.
The mystery spinner wasn't even a part of the Playing XI in the first two matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan but got a chance against New Zealand in place of the rested Harshit Rana. But he took the chance with both hands by producing a match-winning performance.
Ravichandran Ashwin leaks India's plan to dismiss Travis Head
While speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat', Ravichandran Ashwin asked Rohit Sharma to give the new ball to Varun Chakravarthy and wants him to bowl over the wicket to Travis Head to cramp him for room.
“New ball and give it to Varun (Chakravarthy) and ask him to bowl over the stumps to Travis Head. Travis Head shows all his three stumps and then clears his leg and hits it over the field. Varun Chakravarthy with new ball might give India an edge. It will be a mouth watering contest," Ashwin said.
The former India spinner predicts Head to go aggressive against Varun Chakravarthy, which will give India a chance to get the big wicket. Hence, Ashwin wants Varun to bowl a five-over spell at the start.
“I would be very surprised if Travis Head will take on a back seat against Varun. He would love to go aggressive and it will high-risk option. Either he will give Australia good start or India will get him out cheaply. If Travis Head doesn’t take him on, then keeps Varun on for five overs," he added.
Varun Chakravarthy helps India defeat New Zealand
Varun Chakravarthy bowled excellently in the last group stage match against New Zealand and showed why he is called the X-factor in India's team. The mystery spinner proved to be a tough nut to crack for the Kiwis as he dismantled their batting line-up.
He finished with outstanding figures of 5-42 in 10 overs to help India beat New Zealand and finish the group stage unbeaten. However, he will be challenged against an Australian team which tends to take its game to another level in the ICC tournament knockouts.
Ravichandran Ashwin advises India to “win the toss, put them to bat"
Ravichandran Ashwin further picked India as the favorites to win the match given the amount of spinners in the squad. He believes that the Men in Blue will control the game if they manage to get Travis Head out cheaply.
“Win the toss, put them to bat. Give them the responsibility to set the total. If we get Travis Head’s wicket then it will be India’s game to control," said Ravichandran Ashwin.
“If India will bat first, there is no doubt in my mind that India will score above-par score unless Spencer Johnson bowls a fiery first spell. India will go in the game as a favourite with this spin choke but Australia will have nothing to lose," he noted.
India will go into this match as favorites given their spin bowling resources. However, the Men in Blue will be under pressure as they have been on the wrong side in the last few important games against Australia.
