3 Selection Headaches For India Captain Virat Kohli Ahead Of ICC WTC Final

The summit clash of the ICC World Test Championship final between the World’s No.1 ranked side India and the No.2 ranked New Zealand is just a few days.

The Virat Kohli-led Indian team is currently sweating it out in an intra-squad game in a bid to find out answers to some of the selection conundrums they are likely to face ahead of the final.

Here’s a look at 3 selection headaches that the Virat Kohli-led Indian management might face ahead of the ICC WTC final:

4 seamers + 1 spinner or 3 seamers + 2 spinners?

One of the major conundrums for the Virat Kohli-led team management will be regarding the make-up of their bowling unit- Whether they go with four seamers and drop one of the two spin-bowling all-rounders or opt for a three-man pace attack coupled with the duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin?

 

Of course, the decision will depend on the kind of conditions they encounter at the Ageas Bowl in the lead-up to the Test match. If it is overcast and the conditions are in favor of the seamers, then they might be tempted to unleash four pacers and play just one spinner.

But, with India likely to go in with five specialist batters and Rishabh Pant at 6, then playing four seamers and just one spinner will mean that their tail will get significantly longer, and given the fact that the Indian pacers are mugs with the bat, it could prove to be a huge risk.

On the contrary, if they add an extra specialist batter in Hanuma Vihari, then that would mean playing with just four specialist bowlers, something that Indian teams’ under Virat have rarely done.

If one spinner, then who? Ravindra Jadeja or Ashwin?

Okay, if  Virat and Ravi Shastri decide to go with four seamers and just one spinner, then the next question facing them would be,  which of Jadeja or Ashwin should they drop.

Frankly, both Ashwin and Jadeja have compelling arguments to justify their selection.

Ashwin is at the height of his powers as a Test bowler in the past 6-7 months. He played a crucial role in India winning in Australia last winter and not to forget, the champion spinner was the leading wicket-taker for India in the entire WTC cycle.

The fact that he has improved his batting in the last season and the presence of a plethora of left-handers in New Zealand’s top-six goes in his favor.

That said, Ravindra Jadeja has been the best all-rounder in Test cricket in the last three years. Since the start of 2018, Jadeja is averaging 50+ (55.57) with the bat and he gives far more assurance as a No.7 batter than Ashwin.

With the ball, Jadeja is averaging 26.07 in 16 Tests during the same period, and if not for his injury, he would have started the Australian Test series ahead of Ashwin.

Also, Ashwin’s poor outing in Southampton in 2018, also goes in Jadeja’s favor.

As explained in the last point, if India decides to go with four seamers and just one spinner, Jadeja’s superior batting skills might just help him leapfrog Ashwin.

Mohammed Siraj or Mohammed Shami?

Which Mohammed should Virat and Shastri pick if they decide to go with three seamers: Shami or Siraj?

Mohammed Shami is one of India’s best Test bowlers but his performances in England haven’t really been up to the mark.

Across two tours of England, Shami has managed just 21 wickets in 8 Tests at an average of 47.04.

He claimed 16 wickets in 5 Tests at an average of 38.87 during the 2018 series and while one can say that he induced the maximum false shot percentage (according to CricViz), it was 26%, the highest by any bowler from either side) and that he was unlucky on more than one occasion, the counter-argument given is that he bowled too short or too full.

CricViz countered the argument by stating that nearly 45% of Shami’s deliveries were between 6-8 m.

Our Expected Wickets Model suggests that according to the balls he actually bowled, Shami should have taken 22 wickets @ 23.33 in the 2018 series – he only took 16, @ 38.87. That difference of six wickets is the second most for a touring Indian quick, after Ishant in AUS 11/12. https://t.co/Pp435ofSuE

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) July 6, 2020

Either way, we really wouldn’t have been putting a question mark on Shami’s place, had Mohammed Siraj not emerged as a real deal during the course of the last 6-7 months.

Siraj made his Test debut in Australia following an injury to Mohammed Shami and he ended up as India’s leading wicket-taker.

Siraj impressed with his temperament and with his ability to nail down ball after ball at one spot. He set up batsmen like a seasoned Test bowler for someone who was just playing his first series.

According to the reports in media,  the team management is keen to find a way to blood in Siraj in the playing 11, and if that’s the case,  then Shami may have to make way.

Also Read: ICC World Test Championship Final: 5 Indian Players Who Will Be Benched