Former England skipper Nasser Hussain believes India has shown that they can win in any conditions. Indian team has been playing consistently in the Test format and has got positive results all over the world. India has won the last two Test series against Australia while playing in the Australian conditions.
Furthermore, they had drawn the Test series against England by 2-2 while playing in English conditions. Thus, India has been doing a fine job while playing not only in the home conditions but also away.
India’s fast bowling unit has played a key role in the success of the team while playing in the alienate conditions and they deserve a lot of credit. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav have been right on the money for the team.
Hussain feels if there are sunny conditions then India can play with two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Nasser Hussain said on the ICC Review: “I think India, as they showed in Australia, can win in any conditions. It helps with the balance of their side if the weather is good and if the sun shines at The Oval, that they can go with their formula of two spinners, two-seamers, and have (Shardul) Thakur as your third seamer.”
Meanwhile, India had played two spinners in World Test Championship final against New Zealand in 2021 and Hussain added that they read the conditions wrong as the Kiwis had played with an all-out seam attack. India had lost the inaugural WTC Final by eight wickets against the Blackcaps.
“If you look back at the last World Test Championship, I think India read the conditions wrong. The lights were on all five days, it was grey, it was miserable, and it was cold. New Zealand didn’t play a front-line spinner. India played two, and I think seam-dominated and swing-dominated. India has played some good cricket at The Oval. They beat England there last time in a really good game. I think it’s a pretty fair venue.”
On the other hand, the fast bowling units of Australia and India will hold the key in the WTC final. Hussain feels the battle between Mohammed Shami and Pat Cummins will be an intriguing one.
“I’m a massive fan of Pat Cummins in England with the Dukes ball. He bowls those lengths, ideal lengths. It’s the thing that Mohammad Shami has really worked on, his lengths in England.”
He continued: “For years, we used to show Shami in that seam position and it was just back of a length. That’s one thing that he has adjusted. He has gone a little bit fuller and he is finding the outside edge. I think that’s a really good battle, Cummins against Shami. Some high-class bowlers.”
The WTC Final will be played at the Oval from June 7.
