ODI World Cup 2023: India captain Rohit Sharma hints at playing three spinners against Australia

With the team chasing its first ICC title in a decade, the skipper conceded it is unfinished business for many players who have been part of the set-up for the last few years where they have tripped up in the knockouts.

Chennai: India’s captain Rohit Sharma with coach Rahul Dravid during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Australia, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

India skipper Rohit Sharma dropped the biggest hint that the hosts could play three spinners in its World Cup opener against Australia on Sunday. The pitch at Chepauk traditionally aids spin, and India’s depth in the department could be handy with the presence of R. Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.

“Yeah, that’s the luxury we have where we can afford to play three spinners because I don’t consider Hardik Pandya a seamer. He is a proper fast bowler who can crank up good speed,” said Rohit when asked about playing R. Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav alongside Ravindra Jadeja.

“There’s a possibility that we can play three spinners on this pitch with three seamers as well, so it gives us that balance, gives us that number eight batting option as well,” he added.

With the team chasing its first ICC title in a decade, the skipper conceded it is unfinished business for many players who have been part of the set-up for the last few years where they have tripped up in the knockouts.

“Yeah, you heard the great man (Sachin Tendulkar) say that so many times that, until he wins the World Cup, he’s got a bit of unfinished business. So, it’s the same for us as well. It is the biggest prize that you can have in your career. But again, there’s a way to do it. There’s a procedure that you need to follow. There’s a process to it,” said the 36-year-old.

“In desperation, you can do many things that can lead to many other things. So, it’s good to be desperate and hungry. But you have got to find that balance. Balance to stay desperate and hungry for scoring runs, lifting the trophy, winning games, whatever. You cannot get ahead of yourself because that can lead to something you don’t wish for.”

On the challenge of facing Australia in the opener, Rohit said, “What we have done in the past, I don’t think it will matter too much. You have got to play good cricket on that given day. And Australia being Australia, we know how they play in ICC tournaments. There is a reason that they have so many championships. So, it will be important for us to stick to what we want to do as a team, focus on our strengths, and assess the conditions here. That will be critical because the pitch can be slightly tricky and challenging. So, you have to assess how you want to bat, how you want to bowl, what lengths, line for the spinners as well.”

“We played against Australia at this same venue in March and were slightly behind in that game. But we knew what went wrong for us. So, we shouldn’t repeat the mistake we made in that game,” he added.