Ahead of the World Test Championship, there is much debate about the Virat Kohli-led Indian XI. Who should play, who should not is all the talk that is creating buzz. The big question that is hogging the limelight is – will Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja both feature in the XI or will one of them miss out. Veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik recently weighed in on the subject and gave his opinion.
Karthik feels at Southampton, both the spinners should play. He feels the pitch has traditionally assisted spin and is the major reason why Kohli should field both the spinners. “I definitely feel both Jadeja and Ashwin should play together. A, they are a very potent combination. B, it’s Southampton and it aids a bit of turn. I have no doubt they can cause inroads. If India put up a good first innings total, India have the spinners who have the ability to get wickets,” Karthik said on Sports Tak.
Karthik also admitted that he would be surprised if one of them misses out.
“I will be very surprised if one of them doesn’t play. Knowing the Indian team, they are always a positive team. Ravi Shastri has always taken the positive route. He is someone who has taken pride in the way he has played the sport and made India play in the last 2 years,” he added.
Others like Monty Panesar and Anjum Chopra have been of the same opinion that India should play both spinners. It would be interesting to see the XI that takes the field on June 18 at Ageas Bowl.