Skipper Rohit Sharma has emphasized the importance of using four all-rounders to maintain balance in the playing XI. That leaves the decision on the Indian thinktank if they want to tinker with their group-stage strategy and drop a pacer to bring Kuldeep into the playing eleven.
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Despite being India’s top spinner across all formats, Kuldeep was not included in the eleven during the first stage. The team opted for three specialist pacers and two finger-spinners, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, which allowed for batting depth until number 8.
If the pitch offers the same level of turn as seen in the nets in Bridgetown, bringing Kuldeep in the frame will become a no-brainer. However, it is difficult to predict the pitch behaviour until the actual game day. The wicket could favour batting, as evidenced by Australia’s impressive score of 201 against their rivals England during the initial stage of the tournament.
During Tuesday’s practice session, Kuldeep had an extended bowling session. He bowled to Rohit and Virat Kohli, who practiced the slog sweep against the wrist spinner.
Kuldeep could be seen simulating a particular field placement while bowling to Rohit, who found it tough tackling the spinner at the start of the net session as head coach Rahul Dravid watched on.
“The pitch should turn in the middle as well, may be not as much as it is doing in the nets but will definitely turn. The spinners have proved quite useful throughout the Caribbean thus far. I don’t think India will make any changes, they would not want to compromise on their batting,” a former international player, who was present at the venue, told PTI.
Kohli, eager to regain his scoring touch, dedicated a significant portion of his time to batting practice. He began with an extended session of throwdowns before shifting to the adjacent net, where he faced the spin of Kuldeep and the pace of left-armer Khaleel Ahmed.
The entire squad, consisting of 15 players, attended the training session on Monday, two days prior to the upcoming game. They followed it up with another practice on Tuesday, ensuring everyone’s presence.
