“England do not play spin well” - Harbhajan Singh backs 3 spinners for India’s next 2023 World Cup clash 

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh reckons that the Men in Blue might play three spinners in the 2023 World Cup match against England since the defending champions are not known to be good players of slow bowling. Harbhajan urged the Indian management to rest Mohammed Siraj and bring in off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin if the pitch for the clash against England is expected to offer turn.

India will take on England at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday. The Men in Blue are the only undefeated side in the competition so far.

Previewing the contest, Harbhajan said [1:40] on his YouTube channel that while he doesn’t see any major changes to the Indian playing XI, Ashwin could be included in place of a pacer.

“Kuldeep Yadav’s form has been good, but I wonder if we will get to see three spinners play in the next game - Kuldeep, [Ravindra] Jadeja and Ashwin. It could be a possibility since England do not play spin well. As it is, England are not playing well in the World Cup, and if the ball starts spinning, I don’t think they will be able to do much better. Playing three spinners might not be a bad option,” Harbhajan opined.

On who Ashwin could replace in the Indian playing XI, the former cricketer added:

“Siraj can be rested. He has played back-to-back games. Shami has just come into the playing XI and has claimed a five-fer.”

The 43-year-old, however, admitted that the combination would depend on the surface in Lucknow and how much it is expected to assist the spin bowlers.

“If a pitch is a normal one and is not expected to offer a lot of turn, then I do not see too many changes in the team. The team that played against New Zealand might be retained. However, India is playing England, so they might want a slow pitch,” he elaborated.

Harbhajan’s predicted playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah.

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“India deserve the rest” - Harbhajan Singh

Following their win over New Zealand on October 22, Team India took a day off and even went for a trek in Dharamsala. According to Harbhajan, the Men in Blue deserve the rest since they have played some brilliant cricket in the World Cup so far.

“India deserve the rest because they have played really well, winning five out of five matches. Be it Pakistan or Australia, India have been in great form. From Virat Kohli to Rohit Sharma, everyone has looked good. In the bowling, Shami came in and claimed five wickets. Big players are those that perform in big tournaments,” Harbhajan concluded.

After the game against England, India will face Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 2.