Sourav Ganguly wants Virat Kohli to include two players for the fifth Test

Team India’s gruelling England tour is at the concluding stage as they will face the hosts for one last time in the fifth and final Test match. They have already lost the series and the scoreline of 3-1 suggests that the visitors should make a few changes as they have got nothing to lose. Even the former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels the same as he batted for the inclusion of Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari in the final game in London.

As far as the net sessions are concerned, there is a possibility that India might ponder including Vihari in place of Hardik Pandya. But Shaw is likely to be benched again considering the fact that he batted much lesser than KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan. Though Ganguly felt that his inclusion at the top will bring the freshness to the line-up.

“It is important to have a change at the top and give Prithvi Shaw a go. He is young, not battle-scarred, and had a good India ‘A’ tour of England. Both KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are not in the best of form and it will not be a bad idea to have a change at the top,” he wrote in his column for the Times of India.

Vihari will increase batting depth

Sourav Ganguly also felt that Virat Kohli should also try a four-bowler theory once and see the way the bowlers react to the situation. He also believed that good teams have won matches with only four bowlers and there is no harm in trying the ploy once when the result of the game matters the least.

“I am a big believer of playing five bowlers and the Indian bowling unit has been exceptional this series. However, maybe Virat can think about a four-bowler option to see how the bowling unit reacts to such situations and whether this could be a possibility in the future. A lot of good teams in world cricket have succeeded with this formula,” the 46-year-old added while also pointing out that it will give an opportunity for Vihari to play in the line-up.

“It will also give Hanuma Vihari an opportunity. Good things have been said about him of late and this will also help to strengthen the squad’s batting depth,” Ganguly further wrote.

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