Champions Trophy: Playing Four Spinners Is Tempting, But Will Think Over Right Combination, Says Rohit

Champions Trophy: Playing four spinners is tempting, but will think over right combination, says Roh (Image Source: IANS)

Dubai International Stadium: Ahead of meeting Australia in the first semi-final of 2025 Champions Trophy, India skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that retaining their bowling combination of four spinners is a tempting option, but at the same time, he will give a thought over what the right bowling combination should be.

At the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, India fielded four spinners, who picked nine wickets collectively. Wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy was the standout bowler with 5-42, the best bowling figures in the ongoing Champions Trophy, in just his second ODI game to bamboozle New Zealand and ensure India end as Group A toppers.

“We really need to think, even if we want to play four spinners, how we can squeeze them. If we don't, then we don't. Whatever works for us in terms of the bowling options, we will try and do that.

“The reason I say that is because we are very much aware of the conditions, and know exactly what works and what doesn't work. So, we'll just give it a day. We'll think about it, what is the right combination to go with. But it is tempting,” said Rohit in the pre semi-final press conference.

Asked if Chakaravarthy had made a case for his selection in the semi-final against Australia, which is a rematch of the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Rohit remarked, “He just showed what he's capable of. Now it is up to us to think and see how we can get that combination right. Obviously, look, he got a game. He did everything that was asked for. I said it at the post-match (presentation ceremony) as well that he's got something different about him.

“When he gets it right, he knocks people over and takes five wickets. It is very tempting to think about what to do, which is a good headache to have. We'll just try and assess. We just want to go back and think about what the Australian batting lineup will look like and how we can try and see what kind of bowling options will work against them.”

It was in 2021 in Dubai that Chakaravarthy had endured a horror time in the Men’s T20 World Cup by going wicketless in the matches he played. On Sunday, Chakaravarthy made a very successful return to the very same venue with an incredible five-wicket haul in just his second ODI.

Rohit believes that what Chakaravarthy has been doing differently in 2025 as compared to his 2021 stint with the Indian team is his accuracy in deliveries and getting more match-playing experiences across all formats.

“Look, speaking about Varun, I think he's become more accurate now from the last time he played for India, which was way back in 2021. I mean, there was a little bit of inexperience in him as well, because he hadn't played a lot of cricket. But right now, in the last two or three years, he's played a lot of cricket, whether it's domestic cricket, IPL, and for India in T20Is, and now the ODIs as well.

“He understands his bowling really well. There is definitely something about his bowling which he's using to his advantage. Some of our batters also couldn't figure that out, which is always nice. But to answer that question, I think he has become more and more accurate, and the pace variation is superb.

“Watching from behind when I was standing in the slips, his variations have developed a lot more. When you have a little bit of mystery, you don't want to be one-dimensional bowler and bowl with the same speed. You need something different in the pace variation, and the accuracy as well. So, he's worked on both of it, and now you see that he's getting a lot of wickets and getting more often as well, which is a good sign for us as a team," he said.

Rohit signed off by explaining of the time when the think-tank felt it would be better to draft Chakaravarthy in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the main Champions Trophy squad on February 12. “With Varun, especially, we felt we had to sacrifice a batsman, as we thought it's only five games in this tournament. It's very unlikely that that batter is going to play at any stage, unless there's an injury. You don't make team thinking the worst, which is someone getting injured.”

“If somebody is injured, you can always call them upon. But with Varun, we knew that there is a chance that he might play without any injury in the team. I know there are four spinners and all of that, but we played four spinners in this game. So, looking at the surfaces here, hearing about what has happened in Dubai in the past two months, there's a lot of cricket that has been played.”

Rohit signed off by explaining of the time when the think-tank felt it would be better to draft Chakaravarthy in place of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the main Champions Trophy squad on February 12. “With Varun, especially, we felt we had to sacrifice a batsman, as we thought it's only five games in this tournament. It's very unlikely that that batter is going to play at any stage, unless there's an injury. You don't make team thinking the worst, which is someone getting injured.”

Article Source: IANS