The former India fast bowler believed that the Men in Blue will significantly benefit from the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravichandran Ashwin given the spin-friendly conditions in Chennai.
Shardul Thakur, a bowling all-rounder, may have to sit out in order to make room for the third spinner, according to Khan’s opinion. He stated the following in a YouTube video posted by Cricbuzz:
“When you are playing in Chennai, the first discussion should be about accommodating three spinners. With Hardik Pandya there, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be the two frontline seamers. I feel that all three spinners will be in the playing XI. Shardul Thakur will have to miss out.”
Zaheer Khan
It is important to note that Australia does not have the luxury of fielding three spinners, whereas Rohit Sharma and company can. Adam Zampa is the only frontline spinner available to Pat Cummins and company. Glenn Maxwell will be counted on to contribute a couple overs.
Virender Sehwag Thinks Team India Can Trouble Australia with Spin
Former cricketer Virender Sehwag discussed how Australia hasn’t had much success lately against spin spinners in the same video.
He stated how the team lost its first two games in the three-match series against the hosts, India, in advance of the 2023 World Cup.
Sehwag emphasized the significance of using three spinners and said:
“You generally associate slow and turning wickets with Chennai. We have a very strong spin department with Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. We have seen very recently that Australia have struggled against spin. They lost the first two games. There wasn’t much turn in the third ODI, which is why they played better and won.”
Virender Sehwag
India won the ODI series against Australia with a 2-1 victory. In the final match, Australia managed to secure a 66-run consolation victory, giving them some satisfaction amidst their overall defeat.