All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma & Co as they are set to have training session ahead of their mega clash against Australia in the World Cup. Team India reached Chennai yesterday, and will now try to iron out chinks before they kick off their WC campaign on Sunday. Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus the off-spinner is likely to play on a spin-friendly Chennai surface.
However, it won’t be easy for the off-spinner to get into the playing XI, as he has stave off stiff competition from Mohammed Shami. With Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja locked in two front-line spinners, head coach Dravid and Rohit have to make a call on whether to play Ashwin as the third spinner.
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IND vs AUS: Ashwin quandary for skipper Rohit Sharma as India gear up for Australia
With 10 spots fixed for the first clash. It is a toss-up between Ashwin and Shami. In this year’s IPL, the Chennai pitch had something in for spinners as Theekshana and Jadeja were amongst the wickets for CSK.
However, other IPL teams showed that spinners can be attacked by playing the ball straight. Also, pacers will give some initial movement at MA Chidambaram’s surface.
Shami can be a handful on conditions like this, as he can swing the ball well. Also, the veteran pacer is a power play specialist, picking over 15 wickets in the first 10 overs in the past 15 months. India will have a training session today, and Rohit can decide based on the form Ashwin and Shami show.