‘Never play two spinners on seaming pitches’ – Kamran Akmal on what went wrong with Team India in WTC final

A lot of questions have been raised over Team India’s playing combination after their defeat in the ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand. Virat Kohli’s men put up a commendable fight at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, but the Kiwis eventually won the contest by eight wickets and walked away with the prestigious title. Many believe that India didn’t go with the right playing XI and paid a heavy price for that.

In Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, the Virat Kohli-led side went with two spinners on the pace-friendly Southampton track. While Ashwin took four wickets in the game and did showcase his skills, Jadeja, who managed to scalp a solitary wicket, couldn’t do much. On the other hand, the Blackcaps took the field with a five-man pace attack, and all their bowlers got assistance from the surface.

Hence, many reckoned that India should have named an extra pacer or a proper batsman instead of fielding two spinners. Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal is certainly of the same opinion. Discussing what went wrong with Team India in the WTC final, the veteran cricketer opined that the Kiwis came up with a perfect line-up, while India missed a tricky by not picking an extra batsman in overcast conditions.

India should have strengthened their batting: Kamran Akmal

“If we look at India’s playing XI for the WTC, you should never play two spinners on seaming pitches. New Zealand chose the perfect playing XI according to the overcast conditions. They won even after the entire first day’s play was lost to rain. India should have strengthened their batting. As it is, their batsmen weren’t among the runs,” Akmal said on his YouTube channel.

“Virat Kohli was not in form; the opening partnership was not working well. India should have analysed all these issues before finalising their playing XI. They played the same combination of two spinners, which they had in Australia and at home, a move that backfired,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Indian Test team is currently gearing up for the five-match Test series against hosts England, which gets underway on August 4. Although Virat Kohli’s men couldn’t clinch the WTC trophy, they are expected to put up a much better show against the Three Lions, who haven’t been a force to reckon in the longest format lately.