Former Australia captain Steve Waugh believes that India made a mistake when captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bowl first at The Oval on June 7.
He believes the pitch is somewhat tricky, and once the sun strikes the pitch, batters receive a great deal of assistance from the surface. Thus, according to Steve Waugh, India should have batted first in the World Test Championship final in order to take advantage of the favourable surface.
Steve Waugh also noted that Australia committed a comparable error during the 2019 Ashes. The 1999 World Cup-winning captain added that Ravichandran Ashwin should have started for India in the championship match. He added that the veteran can also bat, which would have been advantageous for India in the middle.
“We made the same error in the Ashes four years ago. The Oval is always challenging. It appears verdant on top but is crumbly and slightly dry beneath. You can be lulled into a false sense of security by the overcast sky and verdant field. The Western Australian quoted Waugh as saying, “As soon as the sun comes out, everything changes and quickly dries out.”
“I believe that India chose the wrong party. Spin will play a significant role in this test match, which will be up and down. I would have selected Ashwin based solely on his batting, not his bowling. Furthermore, he has five Test centuries, so I find it hard to believe he is not participating. “It’s very peculiar,” the former cricketer added.
Hogg endorses Jadeja-Ashwin for the WTC final.
Brad Hogg, a former Australian cricketer, also criticised India for not selecting Ashwin for the WTC finals. He added that the pacers had arrived after a marathon competition and, as a result, were unable to make much of an impact. Thus, he opted for the Jadeja-Ashwin pairing instead of four pacers at The Oval.
“India made a judgement, and regardless of the condition of the pitch, they should have played Ashwin. They have four fast bowlers who have not bowled lengthy spells and have just completed the IPL. “Ashwin and Jadeja could have held up one end and relieved a great deal of pressure from the fast bowlers at the other end when they were running low on fuel,” Hogg said.
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