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Former national selector Sarandeep Singh believes it's time for the Indian team to shed its overreliance on Hardik Pandya and start grooming other all-rounders like Shardul Thakur, Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube.
Sarandeep Singh's observation came in light of India's 8-wicket defeat in the World Test Championship final. The team's bowling combination for the Test backfired as New Zealand made hay from overseas conditions with their all-seam attack while India's spinners couldn't have the expected impact.
After the match, skipper Virat Kohli said the team needed a fast-bowling all-rounder to try out a different attack, which hasn't been possible since Hardik Pandya suffered a major back strain a few years ago.
"You can't be relying only on Hardik anymore. You don't know when he will be fit enough to bowl in all formats so someone like Shardul needs to be groomed or even Vijay Shankar or Shivam Dube are there," Sarandeep Singh told PTI on Sunday.
Sarandeep Singh further expressed surprise that India didn't change their playing eleven after the first-day washout in Southampton made the conditions more seamer-favored. He added that being the only pacer with some batting ability, Shardul Thakur merited a place in the 15-member squad.
"The playing eleven picked two days ago before the game was perfect with two spinners in it. But it should have been changed as the conditions got more conducive to fast bowling (after rain). You picked the two spinners (Ravinchandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja) because they can bat. The only fast bowler who could bat was Shardul and he was not in the 15. He should have been there in the 15-man squad irrespective of whether he made the eleven or not eventually," he added.
"We need players to take the pressure off Kohli and Rohit" - Sarandeep Singh
Another talking point that emerged from the WTC final was the faltering contributions from vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. Sarandeep Singh denied the need for a complete overhaul but said the batsmen must to change their approach to support Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
"What is clear now is that you can't play defensive too much if the ball is doing a lot. Whether it is (Cheteshwar) Pujara or (Ajinkya) Rahane or anyone else. You have to bat out of your comfort zone after a certain point to counter the conditions. It is too early to call for an overhaul but change of approach is very much needed from the batsmen. Even in Australia the lower order made those crucial runs. We need players to take the pressure off Kohli and Rohit," he concluded.
India will now play 5 Tests against Joe Root's men, starting on August 4. It would be safe to say that this series, against a troubled England team, could determine the fate of many senior and upcoming cricketers in the squad.
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