WTC Final: Monty Panesar feels India must play 2 spinners against Australia; picks X-factor players

Although playing a test match at the Oval in June can be intimidating, former England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar would still want to see Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja start for India in the next World Test Championship final against Australia. From June 7 to 11, the WTC final will be held at the Oval.

This is the first time in the 140-year history of Test matches that the storied South London venue will host a Test match in June while the surface is still young and green. The final game of a series for the visiting team at the Oval is always a test match, which is played in late August or early September when the wickets are dry and favourable to slow bowlers.

Also read: WTC Final, IND vs AUS: Will lack of game time affect the Australians? Pat Cummins responds

In an interview with PTI, Panesar, who featured in 50 Test for England said, "It is one pitch in England you tend to play two spinners. If the ball turns, there is bounce as well for the spinners. In my view the wicket will be flat. In these conditions, it will suit India if they play two spinners. We have already seen Australia struggling against spinners, especially from India."

While playing two spinners did not work for India in the WTC final at Southampton two years ago, Panesar believes such combination will be more effective for the Rohit Sharma-led team at The Oval.

"The weather has been hot and we are seeing the ball turning even in some T20 Blast games in London. I also don't see them keeping grass because they would want the match to last at least four days," he added.

Also read: WTC Final: India's Rohit Sharma reveals key to success on English tracks ahead of Australian challenge

In terms of pace, Panesar chose Umesh Yadav as the third bowler in front of Shardul Thakur. Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are a given for the starting eleven.

"It will also be interesting to see who the seamers will be as they have lot of options there as well. India are the stronger side in my opinion on all fronts. As they will get extra batting options with Ashwin and Jadeja, I would go with Umesh as the third pacer. He is the guy Rohit can go to and say 'I want you to bowl five overs at 140 plus and rough up the Australian batters'. You will need that extra pace," noted the 41-year-old.

"The ball does reverse at The Oval and we have seen how good the Indian bowlers are when it comes to reverse swing. They can get the ball to move more than the Australian pacers. It is for India to lose this game. They have all going for them and they just need to perform as per their skills," Panesar added.

'Pujara will be the x-factor batter for India'

Cheteswar Pujara, the captain of Sussex, has been selected by Panesar as the x-factor player for India, which is an intriguing option. Over the past two seasons, the right-hander has amassed a tonne of runs in county cricket and was the sole player of red cricket while everyone else was preoccupied with the IPL.

"The Indian top-order is in form. The conditions will be similar to the Wankhede pitch which is fast and bouncy. My x factor batter will be Pujara because he has done so well in these English conditions for Sussex. He is the guy who binds this batting line up together," he explained.

Pujara stands out for his perseverance and capacity to stifle the Australian onslaught, which he did successfully in back-to-back series in 2018–19 and 2020–21. "He is good with his defence and if the ball is going to do a little bit, he can negotiate the Aussie bowlers and when the pitch is flat, the others can cash in with some attacking cricket," Panesar added.

Also read: WTC Final, IND vs AUS: Will in-form Cameron Green curb his natural attacking game?

When asked to pick between wicket-keepers Ishan Kishan and KS Bharat, Panesar said, "You don't need to be an extraordinary wicketkeeper in England. He (Ishan Kishan) has been keeping and batting well. He should play ahead of Bharat."

On Ajinkya Rahane's comeback, the former England spinner noted, ""He scored a fantastic hundred at Lord's and M S Dhoni has reinvented him. There are not many players who can bat like he did in the IPL. He is a fine timer of the ball."

India needs to be wary of Mitchell Stac: Panesar

Meanwhile, Panersar stated that Australia's veteran pacer Mitchell Star provides the x-factor to the team, adding, "For Australia, Starc will be the one to watch out for. He is going to be quick and he is going to get that late movement. He can change the game with one spell. He is the guy Australia will go to when they need a wicket."

Also read: WTC Final, IND vs AUS: Ravi Shastri, Ricky Ponting and Wasim Akram pick their favourites