Indian team is all set to play to its strength of batting big and spinning the ball in tandem in a bid to build the pressure on Australia in the first cricket Test at the MCG starting fron December 26.
Melbourne, Dec 25 : Indian team is all set to play to its strength of batting big and spinning the ball in tandem in a bid to build the pressure on Australia in the first cricket Test at the MCG starting fron December 26.
Kumble today said that he and Harbhajan - who both have excellent records against Australia - could play.
"Yes, there is a case for playing two spinners, but it all depends on how the pitch looks on the morning of the match ... we will take a final call tomorrow morning," he said.
The MCG wicket is expected to favour the fast bowlers early tomorrow, before it starts taking turn later in the match.
But Kumble made it quite clear that the tourists' strong batting line-up would be the key to putting pressure on Australia, as a big first-innings total would allow Kumble to use his legspin and Harbhajan his offspin with attacking fields in place.
"The key to winning any Test match is to score runs and if you have runs on the board, any team can get under pressure," he said.
"If you have runs on the board there's every possibility you'll end up getting 20 wickets with the pressure you can create. We have the potential to get 20 wickets, I believe that," The Australian quoted Kumble, as saying.
Kumble vowed to both bowl and captain the side in a positive frame of mind, and also said that he would not be afraid to bowl plenty of overs, despite the tendencies of some bowling skippers to under-use themselves.
"Even if you take the rest days, I bowled 10 overs every day,'" he said of the recent Pakistan series.
"I don't think I under bowled myself at all. It all depends on the situation, how it is, I am first a bowler and then a captain," he added.
India is also likely to open the batting with Rahul Dravid alongside Wasim Jaffer.
That would allow the team to accommodate all of VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh into the batting line-up.
ANI