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Sunil Gavaskar believes India might alter their playing XI just before the toss in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. The former captain, who is currently at Southampton for commentary duties, said the inclement weather there is conducive to pacers, which could prompt India to include a specialist batsman at the eleventh hour.
India announced their lineup on Thursday evening, with a bowling combination of three seamers and two spin-bowling all-rounders in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. New Zealand, on the other hand, have deployed a cautious, wait-and-watch approach and will only reveal their team at the toss.
Sunil Gavaskar opined that either of the Indian spinners might have to make way for a batsman while Rishabh Pant could be shunted by one spot in the batting order.
"Yes, that's the thing. See, they might have announced the team yesterday, [but] nothing is finalized until the captains share the sheets with each other during the toss. So, you can change the team till the very last moment. As a captain, when I used to be confused between playing a spinner or an extra batsman, I used to see the opposition's eleven and scratch and change the team on my paper just before the toss. So, the eleven can be changed anytime before the toss. So I feel like maybe they'll think of playing another batsman because of the weather. Because these conditions are suitable for New Zealand fast bowlers so Rishabh Pant is at six, he might shift to seven and an extra batsman might play. Seeing this weather, one spinner might be dropped," Sunil Gavaskar told AajTak.
The original 15-member squad includes Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj as reserves. Vihari would be the most likely option for an extra batsman, while Siraj could be brought in if the team decides to compromise its batting for an extra seamer.
"There will definitely be some grass on the pitch" - Sunil Gavaskar
The first look on the pitch showed an even layer of grass. Sunil Gavaskar has revealed that contrary to expectations, it hasn't been shaved off yet due to the downpour and it's likely that the final pitch will have some grass on it. The 71-year-old added that this could mean the team winning the toss might field first without any hesitation.
"Yes, that will be the thinking of both the captains. It has been raining since yesterday so the groundsman hasn't got the chance to trim the grass and roll the pitch. There will definitely be some grass then. That's why I feel that as both India and New Zealand have brilliant new-ball attacks, they'll want to safeguard their own batters and field first (if they win the toss). If they can pick up 3-4 wickets in the first hour, the match will be in their control," Sunil Gavaskar added.
The WTC final didn't get off to the best of starts as the first session was washed out. The ground is drenched and the forecast for the rest of the day is also bleak. The reserve day, June 23, might come in handy if conditions improve in the coming days.
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