Former Indian spinner Anil Kumble has suggested India to go ahead with their game plan of playing four spinners in the playing XI against Australia in the semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday.
The move paid off in the last league game against New Zealand where Varun Chakravarthy picked five wickets and was well supported by the other three spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.
India and Australia face off in the first semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday, March 3. India have played all their matches in Dubai so far and there are talks about the ground being almost a home ground for India in this tournament. Meanwhile, Anil Kumble feels that head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma should stick with the four-spinners attack for the big-ticket Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia.Â
"I don't think the surface is going to change. It's not going to change from what we saw against New Zealand. I would think that India would go with four spinners and Varun Chakravarthy will certainly play," Kumble told ESPNCricinfo.
The Dubai Surface Suits 4 Spinners - Anil Kumble
The former Indian spinner further said that the conditions in Dubai suits the Indian spinners and thus playing all of them together makes complete sense. Varu might be India's trump card in the contest as not many of the Australian batters have previously played him.
"The surface and the conditions certainly suit these four spinners. All four are quality spinners. So, 40 overs of good spin bowling, plus you have option of 20 overs of pace. I don't think India need to worry too much," the former India leg spinner went on to add.
He concluded by saying that despite Mohammed Shami being hit on his shoulder in the previous match, India might stick to playing with the same XI. Shami will lead the seam attack for India along with Hardik Pandya as the second seam option.
"The only chance perhaps is [Mohammed] Shami. He did get hit on his shoulder, but he looked fine when he bowled, so I don't see that also [as] a problem. India, I feel, will go with the same playing XI against Australia and not look to bring in another fast bowler," he added.
The India vs Australia semi-final is a rematch of the ICC World Cup 2023 final where Australia beat India. The Men in Blue would like to return the favour in this match.
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