With a place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final up for grabs the preparations are in full swing in both the Indian and Australian camps for the decisive Test series which kick starts on February 9 in Nagpur. The Indian team in the meantime have come up with another big masterplan as they have opted to add four spinners in their net squad as they try to counter the Australian spin attack in the upcoming series.
India come with masterplan
With Australia opting for four spinners Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Swepson and Todd Murphy in their squad for the upcoming Test series, India are aware of the threat that could be posed to them. To counter the situation, the hosts have made full use of their net squad as the likes of Saurabh Kumar, Washington Sundar, R Sai Kishore and Rahul Chahar have been included. The four-member spin squad will be in use for the nets where they will help the Indian team’s preparations for the Border-Gavaskar series.
Sai Kishore has scalped 105 wickets in 28 Ranji Trophy matches for Tamil Nadu and has been knocking on the doors of the Indian team in recent time. Saurabh Kumar has 244 wickets in the red-ball domestic cricket and will be a key addition to the Indian team set-up of net bowlers. Both Sai Kishore and Saurabh are uncapped for India.
Washington Sundar has played four Test matches for India but was not included in the main squad but will help the team counter the opposition threat while there Rahul Chahar who has played for the national team will also offer his services in the nets while the Ranji Trophy season reaches the last four.
WTC race going down the wire
Australia will play a four-match Test series against India which kick starts on 9 February at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The series will have bearings on the World Test Championship (WTC) where both India and Australia are in pole positions to make the final in June while South Africa and Sri Lanka are also in contention with an outside chance if India fail to make the most of the opportunity.
