WTC final: Ashish Nehra picks his Indian bowling attack to take on New Zealand

Ashish Nehra has picked India's bowling attack for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand squad for WTC final. The former Indian pacer named Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as first-choice options, with Mohammed Siraj being the fourth fast bowler.

Virat Kohli will have the luxury of having the most seasoned bowlers at his disposal for the India squad for WTC final and the five-Test series against England. However, considering the recent performances of Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar, Kohli will certainly have a benign headache in the lead up to the summit clash in Southampton.

Ashish Nehra chose Siraj ahead of Thakur if the conditions are seamer-friendly and advised Team India to stick with experience over form.

“If you come across a green top, then you certainly can think of including an extra pacer, which I feel should be Mohammed Siraj given how well he has been bowling. But otherwise, I think the bowling attack should be Ishant, Bumrah and Shami as the three fast bowlers, with Ashwin and Jadeja as the spinners," Nehra told The Telegraph.

India 🤜🤛 New ZealandThe inaugural ICC World Test Championship finalists! The wait will be unbearable. #WTC21 | #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/X3KcNrUTJ1

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Expounding on his choices, Ashish Nehra said playing spin-twin Jadeja and Ashwin together makes the side more balanced because of their batting ability.

“Of course, there’s still almost a month left for the final and how each of the quicks fares in practice sessions, as well as their fitness levels, would also be taken into account before the XI is announced. But the advantage of playing with this attack is that Ashwin and Jadeja can contribute with the bat too, and runs scored by the lower order turn out to be priceless. If Jadeja and Ashwin are in the XI, the team will have all bases covered in terms of bowling,” Nehra added.

Ashish Nehra analyzes pace attacks of India and New Zealand

Ashish Nehra

Further analyzing the pace attacks of both India and New Zealand, Ashish Nehra feels Bumrah and Shami will have an edge over their Kiwi counterparts on flatter decks.

He was also unconvinced with the New Zealand bowlers' prowess, arguing that they might not be very effective if the track didn't offer much help.

Get the latest World Test Championship final live score.

“Of course, both India and New Zealand have very good fast bowlers. But if you look at our bowlers, Bumrah and Shami can bowl well even on flatter decks. As for the New Zealand attack, Trent Boult is obviously a class bowler, while Neil Wagner too has been there for quite some time and is experienced as well. But when there isn’t enough swing on offer, I don’t know how useful and effective Tim Southee could be. Kyle Jamieson is a good prospect, but he does need a little more experience," concluded Ashish Nehra.

The WTC final will be played between June 18-22 as per WTC final schedule, followed by a five-match series between India and England in August-September.

If you have to pick one bowler out of these five, who would you pick?#WTC21 pic.twitter.com/TT6xYyE1ue

— ICC (@ICC) May 19, 2021