Image Source : TWITTER/BCCI Navdeep Saini
Former India pacer Ashish Nehra believes that Navdeep Saini must be the “first choice” for the third quick bowler’s slot within the upcoming third Test towards Australia due to his further tempo and talent to extract disconcerting bounce.
While Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan are additionally in competition, the previous left-arm pacer feels the choice of Saini for the Sydney Test, beginning Thursday, is a no brainer if one goes by pure cricketing logic.
“If you look at squad composition, Saini was first choice and Shardul and Natarajan both came in as replacements for Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav,” Nehra informed PTI on Tuesday.
“So if Saini was ahead of them during initial Test squad selection, I don’t see any reason why he would slip down in the pecking order. You selected him first, so obviously you believed he was better than other two. Isn’t it,” Nehra, recognized for his plain talking, mentioned.
But do not you assume Saini’s detached present in two white-ball video games earlier than he suffered a niggle ought to depend?
“By that logic, then KL Rahul (now injured) should have opened in first two Tests. It doesn’t happen like that,” the 42-year-old mentioned.
Then he gave his factors as to why Saini could be higher suited to Sydney.
“Navdeep’s biggest asset are bounce and extra pace. This is a Test match. How does Natarajan normally gets his wickets? When people are trying to hit him. Also, you haven’t tested Natarajan by playing him for India A like you did with Mohd Siraj, who has risen through the ranks,” mentioned Nehra.
“Similarly, Navdeep has also come up the ranks having been on multiple red ball tours of India A. In Test matches, batsmen normally don’t get out. You have to get them out. That’s the difference.”
The white-ball video games that had been held in Sydney indicated that the deck was a flat one and specific tempo is useful on such surfaces.
“On Sydney pitch, you’ll require a bit extra tempo and Navdeep has that. There should not be any debate as such. Sydney pitches what I noticed throughout white ball video games, it was very flat.
“So when kookaburra seam will flatten out after some time, you wil, require that extra pace that Navdeep has and also he can get a bit of reverse swing,” mentioned one in all his India’s most interesting exponents of swing bowling up to now decade.
The different issue is the present Australian workforce’s incapacity to play short-pitched bowling.
“Also this Australian team is susceptible to short-pitched bowling, unlike a Matthew Hayden or Ricky Ponting of yesteryears. Navdeep can be used better as he bowls a mean bouncer compared to a Natarajan or Shardul.”
Nehra was sensible in his evaluation.
“I’m not saying by any stretch that Navdeep is India’s No 1 bowler. He wants to enhance rather a lot. Saini just isn’t 145 to 150 kmph bowler like Shoaib Akhtar or a Brett Lee. That too, they bowled that velocity could also be for 3 to 4 seasons.
“Navdeep’s average speed is around 140 but out of the three, Navdeep is best suited to play the Sydney Test match.”
For Nehra, “someone bowling between 135 to 140 with better length and control is a far better proposition than one bowling at 148-150 kmph but is wayward.”
As far as Natarajan is anxious, Nehra believes that the Tamil Nadu yorker sensation will do effectively not solely in T20 Internationals but additionally in 50 over format as he performs recurrently.
“If you do effectively in IPL, you then get a fundamental concept of what might get you success in T20Is and when you can work arduous after being fast-tracked, you are able to do effectively in ODIs additionally the place you want a couple of extra expertise because the period is longer.
“Natarajan will be a good white-ball bowler with his variations going forward in T20 as well as 50 over cricket,” he mentioned.
