Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has asserted that India’s best spinner, that is R Ashwin, should definitely be part of the WTC Final 2023 against Australia, starting Wednesday at The Oval.
The big debate is about whether India should play a second spinner in R Ashwin or go with a fourth seamer, Shardul Thakur, who is considered a seam-bowling all-rounder because of his batting prowess.
R Ashwin played in the WTC Final 2021 against New Zealand and made some impact with both bat and ball. However, he was benched for all five Tests against England in the 2021/22 series in England as India went with Shardul Thakur, who made a couple of significant impact with his bat.
Overall, however, R Ashwin continues to have a better record in England than Shardul Thakur. Also, Australia will have 4 left-handers in their top 7, making R Ashwin an even more potent option. But the conditions in England might demand an additional seamer.
Sourav Ganguly, though, is certain that R Ashwin should play in the WTC Final 2023
Speaking with RevSportz, Sourav Ganguly said: “[Ravindra] Jadeja will play as a batting all-rounder here. His batting is second to none, so he will be a very important batter. [Ravichandran] Ashwin must play. He is your best spinner, and is a quality bowler in any conditions. And he is a handy bat as well. So I would definitely say two spinners.”
Ganguly also gave a stern reply to those who were judging the pitch based on its look a day before the match.
“Also, when you all say the wicket looks green, and ask why should India go in with two spinners, please note that you won’t know much about the wicket by seeing it a day earlier. Even on the morning, they can shave the grass off and it can be a very different surface. In England, you don’t know much about the wicket by seeing it two days in advance,” the former BCCI President added.
Rishabh Pant is a massive loss: Sourav Ganguly
Many are considering Australia as favorite to start with because India are in the absence of two of their key, first-choice players: Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah.
While India have the experience of Umesh and Unadkat to cover for Bumrah’s absence, the void of Rishabh Pant could not be fulfilled as Ishan Kishan is uncapped at the Test level and KS Bharat has featured in 4 home Tests so far.
Rishabh Pant had been India’s best batsman in the past couple of years: and despite missing the 4 Tests against Australia, Pant is India’s leading run-scorer since 2021.
Ganguly reckons India will stick with KS Bharat over handing Kishan a debut.
“Rishabh Pant is a massive loss. He is an out-and-out match-winner for India, and he will be badly missed. Having said that, I think KS Bharat will be playing in the final because this selection is indicative of Rahul Dravid’s mindset. I wish him well because his contribution will be important for India,” Ganguly added.
