No one knows what India captain MS Dhoni has up his sleeves when he picks his best XI against Pakistan on Sunday. Will it be seven batmen and four bowlers or will there be five bowlers with six batsmen? With two new balls and field restrictions, India will definitely be tempted to play five bowlers against a team which has never beaten them in a World Cup game, but who wants to take a chance in the all-important game?
Dhoni likes to take risks and he has taken a lot of them in the course of his career as a captain. At this crucial juncture there is no time to experiment. From hearsay, three fast bowlers may figure in the playing list considering that the Adelaide pitch could be handy to pacers.
With Ravindra Jadeja looking steady to take on the mantle of the all-rounder slot, India could also rely on R Ashwin’s experience as second spinner. Another left-arm slow bowler, Axar Patel, has shown enough promise to stay in the contention.
On the pace front, Mohit Sharma is expected to be a top choice but a bowler like Umesh Yadav can’t be ruled out completely. He didn’t play much ODI cricket after an inconsistent Test series, but looked a lot fresher and sharper than the ones in the squad during practice matches.
Even Mohammed Shami’s record against Pakistan is not bad. But if Bhuvneshwar Kumar is match fit on Sunday, he would be the main strike bowler for his team. Perhaps all-rounder Stuart Binny will play the role of third seamer, or fourth pacer, in the team.
