Rohit: It’s tempting to play four spinners

So, we’ll just give it a day. We’ll think about it and then decide what will be the right combination

After the impressive performance in the league stage of the Champions Trophy, Team India may be tempted to scream ‘Bring on the Aussies’. But they realise bravado doesn’t always pay. On the eve of the Champions Trophy semi-final, India captain Rohit Sharma admitted that at ICC events, the Australians are always hard nuts to crack. “It’s going to be a good game. Australia have a rich history of playing well in ICC tournaments. For us to do things right, we have to be focussed on what we need to do on that day. Looking forward to that, hopefully we can stitch one [win] for us,” said Rohit.

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The big question on the eve of the match was whether India would again deploy four spinners against Australia, like they did against New Zealand. “Look, the game [against New Zealand] has just got over. We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze four spinners. If we don’t, then we don’t. Whatever works for us in terms of the bowling options, we will try and do that. The reason I say that is because we are aware of the conditions here and we know exactly what works and what doesn’t work. So, we’ll just give it a day. We’ll think about it and then decide what will be the right combination. But, yes, it is tempting [to play four spinners again],” said Rohit.

Varun Chakravarthy has made himself almost indispensable after his performance against New Zealand with his 5-42 and keeping him on the bench won’t be easy. “He [Chakravarthy] just showed what he’s capable of. Now, it’s up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. Obviously, he’s got a [very good] game. He did everything that was asked of him. And when he gets it right, he knocks people over. It’s very tempting to think about what to do, which is a good headache to have. We need to think about what the Australian batting line-up will look like and how we can try and see what kind of bowling options will work against them.” The India captain was generous in his praise for Chakravarthy. “He understands his bowling really well. There’s definitely something about his bowling, which he’s using to his advantage. Some of our batters also can’t figure that out [in the nets], which is always nice,” added Rohit.

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