 "ICC Champions Trophy: Sourav Ganguly urges Virat Kohli to pick R Ashwin for South Africa clash")
New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has urged Virat Kohli to pick Ravichandran Aswhin for Sunday's do-or-die ICC Champions League Group B match against South Africa.
"I think Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja should play. Drop Hardik Pandya, bring back Ashwin. India should play five bowlers against South Africa," Ganguly told India Today.
Defending champions India beat Pakistan in their first match, but suffered an unlikely defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, thus compromising their smooth passage into the knock-out stage.
Kohli & Co. will need to beat the Proteas to make the semis, but it will not be an easy task. In the last match, India failed to defend a good score of 321 and many believed that the inclusion of a match-winner like Ashwin will boost India's chances.
"Not only batting, India's bowling has also looked good except for just one game. Sri Lanka batted exceptionally," Ganguly said.
Also considering the fact, that the Proteas boast of three left-handers in their top-order, presence of an offspinner will be good.
Yesterday, South Africa batting coach Neil McKenzie also talked about the importance of Ashwin.
"When it comes to strategy, Ashwin against left-handers should be preferred choice but I think there's quality at both ends and you need two good performances at the end of the day," McKenzie said.
South Africa's three left-handers - Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and David Miller – are capable of winning matches single-handedly against any given opposition. If India are to beat the top-ranked ODI side in the world, they will not only need to score big but also take wickets at regular intervals.
Newsletter
