"We have quality around our spin bowling, it's good headache": Rohit on selection challenges ahead of England Test
Jan 24, 2024
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 24 : India skipper Rohit Sharma opened up about the "headache" that the management faced ahead of the first Test against England here on Thursday in view of the availability of various good options.
India has a pool of talented players to pick the playing XI. Virat Kohli will miss the first two Test matches due to personal reasons, while KL Rahul won't be taking up gloves throughout the five-match series against England.
With plenty of roles to fill and the added concern of whether to go with a third additional spinner, Rohit talked about the number of challenges that came up during the selection of playing XI.
"It was a bit of a headache to decide who it would be. I am not going to say who it is, and it was a challenge for us to decide as to who it is. Kuldeep gives you a certain X factor with his bowling especially if the wicket gives bounce or not, he still becomes a factor because he has got superb variations and he is a very mature bowler now," Rohit said in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
Rohit kept the cards close to his chest, but he went on to drop a hint on who could be seen featuring in India's playing XI for the first Test against England.
"He has not played much cricket in India because of Ashwin and Jadeja and that's what has even happened in the past also. Lot of us got our chances late but that's how it is and that's the reality it is, and you can't hide away from it. Kuldeep is a much better bowler, and it's a very tempting option. Axar with his all-round ability gives us the batting depth and the consistency he has shown. We have quality around our spin bowling department and it's a good headache," Rohit added.
The second dilemma that the Indian team is facing is selecting a wicketkeeper. With head coach Rahul Dravid ruling out Rahul as a wicketkeeping option for the series because of workload management, India have the option to go with KS Bharat or Dhruv Jurel.
"We will see and assess their [Jurel and Bharat] performances. We are looking at the bigger picture, and we will give as many games as possible to the individual. Whatever is right for the team, we will do that," Rohit said without revealing who would slot into the XI.
