'It will be a very brave call to play two spinners' - Dinesh Karthik dissects India's bowling options ahead of WTC final

With the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League done and dusted, India's focus shifts to the impending World Test Champions final against Australia at The Oval, London next month. Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who will be part of the commentary panel for the summit clash, gave his views on India's bowling options for the final.

Team India will square off against Pat Cummins' Australia in a one-off clash for the WTC at The Oval, commencing on June 7. While several Indian batters are in top form at the moment, Dinesh Karthik cast his doubt on India's bowling options ahead of the much-anticipated summit clash. 

The veteran wicketkeeper-batter feels that India will be uncertain moving forward with two spinners in the starting eleven given the conditions on English shores. He also highlighted India's shortcomings in last edition's final when they opted for two spinners against New Zealand, a decision that backfired for the then-skipper Virat Kohli.

“I think it will be a very brave call to even play two (spinners) - Ashwin and Jadeja together. It might come down to a stage where, are they going to look at just the one spin option and an extra fast-bowling all-round option in Shardul Thakur or are they going to go with two spinners? It will be an answer which will be easier said closer to the day of the match.

The conditions will dictate whether they're going to go in with two spinners. I remember very vividly the last time they did feel that they had made an error by playing both the spinners in the Southampton Test match (2021 World Test Championship final) which didn't probably aid spin much and both of them were under-bowled,” Karthik said in the latest episode of The ICC Review.

Jasprit Bumrah is a huge miss for any team and in any format: Karthik

The veteran cricketer also pointed out Jasprit Bumrah's absence, which would be a huge miss for the Asian outfit. However, he lauded the form of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, who would be gearing up to face the Aussies on the back of prolific outings for their respective sides in the recently concluded IPL season. While he backed Shardul Thakur to start in the crucial fixture, he felt India could go with either Umesh Yadav or Jaydev Unadkat as the fourth seamer.

“Jasprit Bumrah is a huge miss for any team and in any format as he's a force to reckon with but a couple of key bowlers are in great form in Mohammed Siraj and Mohammad Shami who have bowled really well throughout the IPL. They have Shardul Thakur in the squad, who I'm pretty sure has a great chance of playing, while the fourth (seaming) option again will be between Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat,” he added.