By IANS
Melbourne : Captain and ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble said Tuesday that there was a possibility that off-spinner Harbhajan Singh might also play along with him in the first against Australia starting here Wednesday.
Lack of sunshine has hampered pitch preparation at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the curator has conceded that he has not been able to make it as friendly for pacers a s possible.
Traditionally also, the MCG pitch has assisted spinners.
“Yes, there is a case for playing two spinners, but it all depends on how the pitch looks the morning of the match. We will take a final call tomorrow morning,” Kumble told reporters here.
“That is something we will decide once we take a final look at the pitch tomorrow morning.”
MCG could well be the only venue in the four-match series where India can contemplate fielding two spinners as the other venues — Sydney, Perth and Adelaide – encourage pace bowlers.
Kumble stressed that batting would be India’s biggest trump card. He was referring to a line-up that includes legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman.
“If we play to our strength, our batting is definitely our strength … I know our batters can fire,” he said.
“We have the potential to do that — it’s important for us to stick with our strengths and do the job.”
A tall total would give the bowlers enough encouragement to bowl the opposition out.
“I think the key to winning any Test match is to score runs, and if you have runs on the board then any team can get under pressure,” he averred.
“That will be the thing: try and get runs on the board so you can put pressure on the opposition and get 20 wickets.”
Many experts believed that the present Indian team is better equipped to beat the world champions than the side that drew the four-match series 1-1 in Australia in 2003-04.
Also, this is, by all accounts, the last series for the ‘Fabulous Five’ — Tendulkar, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble and V.V.S. Laxman – who will be keen to leave an indelible mark on the series.
Kumble, who has retired from one-day cricket and is the third all-time leading Test wicket taker with 584 scalps, acknowledged this as much.
“It’s a very important tour for all of us. Personally, at least for me, this definitely will be my last tour of Australia with the Indian team so it will be very special to go back with a victory,” he said.