India should draft all-rounder Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary in the side for the next tri-series match even if it means dropping a spinner along with Suresh Raina, suggested former skipper Sourav Ganguly.
India will play Sri Lanka on Wednesday after losing the fist match to Australia by 65 runs. India had rested Virender Sehwag and included two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma for the first match, a ploy with which Ganguly was hardly impressed.
“In the next game, India should play Irfan Pathan instead of a spinner, as that will add variety to their attack. Pathan is a left-hander who swings the ball well. Pathan is needed because India is playing too many spinners, whereas even in Sunday’s game, Vinay Kumar and the Australian pacemen made the most of the pitch,” Ganguly said.
Ganguly said Bengal batsman Tiwary deserved a place in the side in place of Raina. “I also wonder why Manoj Tiwary is not playing. Here is a man who scored a hundred in his last match against the West Indies under pressure, and on current form should play ahead of Suresh Raina who has looked suspect against the short stuff,” Ganguly said. “India’s batting has been a worry for the entire tour. After the impressive T20 win at the MCG just a few days ago, Indian supporters expected M S Dhoni and his boys to start off the tri-series on a positive note.”
Ganguly also felt that Sehwag’s presence in the top-order was crucial to India. “India also needs the injured Virender Sehwag back. Sachin Tendulkar had not played a one-day match for 10 months, and it’s not easy to accelerate from the word go. Gautam Gambhir did get a good fifty in the last Twenty20 game, but hasn’t looked convincing as yet,” he said.
Ganguly also heaped praise on Australian wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, saying with maturity should turn into a major asset for the Aussies. “Genuine all-rounders are a huge boost to a team and Wade fits into that category. He can bat at any position, uses his feet well, can hit big shots in the shorter versions of the game and seems to have a cool head on his shoulders.”
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