Ravichandran Ashwin vs Mohammed Shami is now the new headache for Rohit Sharma. As the Men in Blue continue their preparation for the IND vs AFG World Cup clash, there is a hint of change in the India Playing XI.
In the previous game against Australia in Chennai, India opted for a three-spinner approach. But with the next game slated to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, the return of Mohammed Shami is highly likely in the playing XI. As a result, Ashwin will move back to the benches.
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Why Shami is set to replace Ashwin?
The dynamics are fairly simple. The pitch at Cheupak was slow and favoured spinner which prompted India to start the game with 3 spinners. However, the same cannot be said about Delhi’s pitch. The pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium is a paradise for batters and therefore it can be expected that huge scores will be up for grabs.
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Moreover, the pitch doesn’t favor spinners too much. South Africa recently amassed 428 runs while Sri Lanka in reply put up a decent score of 326 runs. Therefore taking a look at the conditions, India’s only hope will be to bring back Mohammed Shami in the playing XI.
Ravindra Jadeja is the star spinner in the squad and cannot be dropped. Kuldeep Yadav has been good with the ball and has performed well in recent times. Moreover, he plays for Delhi Capitals in the IPL and is known to pick wickets on this very surface. On the other hand, Shami will join the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the pace attack. Hardik Pandya will operate as the fourth pacer in the side.
