Harbhajan Singh, a former India World Cup winner, has suggested that the Indian team management should play with three spinners against the defending champions, England, in Lucknow. This comes as the Men in Blue will be missing the services of Hardik Pandya for the next three games due to an ankle injury he sustained during the Bangladesh game.
The Men in Blue is one of the favourites to win the championship, as they have almost a full-strength squad and well-settled unit heading the primary 50-over competition in the World. The team has been performing exceptionally well in the ongoing ODI World Cup, having won all five games in India without any major hiccups.
Speaking on his YouTube Channel, Harbhajan Singh suggests India play all three spinners against England, given their struggles against spin in the ongoing tournament.
“Kuldeep Yadav’s form has been good, but I wonder if we will get to see three spinners play in the next game – Kuldeep, [Ravindra] Jadeja and Ashwin. It could be a possibility since England does not play spin well. As it is, England are not playing well in the World Cup, and if the ball starts spinning, I don’t think they will be able to do much better. Playing three spinners might not be a bad option,” Harbhajan Singh said.
India suffered an injury blow before their match against New Zealand when Hardik Pandya was forced to withdraw due to an ankle problem. Suryakumar Yadav was brought into the side as a replacement, while Mohammed Shami impressed everyone with his match-winning performance against the 2019 World Cup runner-ups.
I Do Not See Too Many Changes In The Team – Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh feels that Mohammed Siraj can be rested for the game against England after playing five matches on a trot. He also stated that if Lucknow is given a normal surface, there could not be many changes to the starting eleven.
“Siraj can be rested. He has played back-to-back games. Shami has just come into the playing XI and has claimed a five-fer. If a pitch is a normal one and is not expected to offer a lot of turns, then I do not see too many changes in the team. The team that played against New Zealand might be retained. However, India is playing England, so they might want a slow pitch,” Harbhajan Singh added.
The Men in Blue will look to continue their winning streak after triumphing over Australia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. In contrast, Jos Buttler’s England has only managed to win one of their previous four games.
