 "IND-ENG Playing 11: Axar or Kuldeep? Rohit's big headache ahead of 1st Test")
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma on Wednesday admitted that the team management had a tough time making the third spinner choice between Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav for the opening Test against England but hinted that the former might just have made the final cut.
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Behind Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, India are primed to pick a third spinner for the first Test against England, starting here from Thursday.
"If the wicket has bounce or if it doesn't have bounce, he (Kuldeep) still is a factor in those types of conditions because he's got superb variations. Obviously, he is a very mature bowler now from what he was a few years back," Rohit said in the pre-match press conference.
"He's not played a lot of Test cricket in India because of Ashwin and Jadeja. We've seen it in the past as well. With our middle-order (batting), in the past, a lot of us (batters) got an opportunity pretty late.
"But that's the reality of it, you can't hide away from it. But yes, he's a very tempting option," he added.
Although Rohit did not give away his final team for the match, he indicated that Axar might just be the one on the final team sheet.
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He underlined the utility of the left-arm spinner as an all-rounder, the strongest clue about the think tank's preference for this Test at least. He dispelled the notion that Axar packs similar abilities as Jadeja and, as such, he might slip down the pecking order.
"Axar, you know, with his all-round ability, gives us that batting depth. The consistency that he's shown, playing in these conditions in Test cricket, also is an important factor for us.
"But it was a headache to decide who it is going to be for us. But I am not going to say who it is," said Rohit.
The 36-year-old also hoped that premier spinner Ashwin will deliver one more time in conditions familiar to him.
"Ashwin, obviously, we know his class, we know his quality. Every time he plays the game for us, he tends to impress all of us by a notch (higher). We do appreciate that.
"Every time he's gotten an opportunity, he's made sure to put the team ahead. He's shown it for a number of years now. So, yeah, I hope this series is no different for him, and he comes out and does what he does the best," said Rohit.
Ashwin is on the cusp of achieving twin milestones in his storied career.
The 37-year-old off-spinner is 10 wickets shy of the 500-wicket mark in Tests and he can also complete 100 career Test matches if he plays all the five Tests in the series.
England are certain to bring their exciting 'Bazball' brand of cricket into this series as well. Rohit said his focus has been on the strategies of Team India, rather than worrying about the opposition's approach.
"You need to be very clear in your mind, you need to have a game plan when you're playing in these conditions, and then back that plan -- whether it's to defend tightly or whether it is to play some shots -- sweep, reverse sweep, whatever that is," he said.
"Don't be in two minds as to what you want to do as that is where you can get yourself into trouble. Then you need to understand your own strengths because all of us have grown up playing in these types of conditions," he added.
Rohit said the team that handles pressure better and consistently would do well in the series.
"It's just about handling that pressure of playing a Test match, handling that pressure of quality spells from the opposition. So, that is the challenge that you need to handle.
"You stick to your own strengths, stick to your plan, and then go out and do that fearlessly," he asserted.
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