Dinesh Karthik predicts India's bowling line-up for World Test Championship final against Australia
May 29, 2023
Dubai [UAE], May 29 : India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik has used the latest episode of The ICC Review to reveal which bowlers he believes should get the nod and represent his side in next month's ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.
The prolonged absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, as well as the possibility of a seam-friendly field at The Oval, means there is plenty of speculation about India's bowling line-up for the one-off Test against Australia, which begins on June 7.
The final between Australia and India is set to take place between June 7 and 11, with June 12 earmarked as the reserve day.
Experienced duo Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are definite starters to spearhead India's pace attack, but who partners the important duo and how many spinners make the final cut is unknown as the eagerly anticipated battle approaches.
Pace trio Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat and Shardul Thakur were named in the original 15-player squad and are all in the mix to play according to Karthik, while uncapped quick Mukesh Kumar is on the standby list and could still feature should selectors choose a more left-field option.
Much will depend on the bowlers' condition when they arrive in England at the start of next month, according to Karthik, but he believes Thakur and Unadkat will be the best alternatives to worrying Australia's hitters since they provide a bit more diversity to the team.
"Jasprit Bumrah is a huge miss for any team and in any format as he's a force to reckon with... but a couple of key bowlers are in great form in Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami who have bowled really well throughout the IPL," Karthik said in ICC Review.
"It's only a question of how much their bodies will be ready to play the rigours of five-day cricket. That is going to be the big question," he added.
"They have Shardul Thakur in the squad, who I'm pretty sure has a great chance of playing, while the fourth (seaming) option again will be between Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat. As we sit here again, there are a couple of injury issues, a little bit of cloud over their participation, so it's going to be interesting to see which way they go," Karthik said.
"But you do get the feeling they could go to the left-arm medium pacer because they would want a variety in their attack," he added.
