MELBOURNE - India are considering playing two spinners in the first test against Australia starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground tomorrow.
Captain Anil Kumble today said India might call on a spin attack comprising himself and offspinner Harbhajan Singh.
But Kumble said the tourists would wait until tomorrow
morning before finalising their side, as he wanted another look at the pitch and conditions before deciding the composition of the attack.
Rain in Melbourne over the past week has hampered the pitch preparation.
Kumble was non-committal on the makeup of his team, but admitted there was a chance both he and Harbhajan could play.
"That is something we will decide once we take a final look at the pitch tomorrow morning," he said.
"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 said India were also yet to decide whether veteran Rahul Dravid would move up the order to open the innings, which would ensure there was room in the middle order to accommodate all of the tourists' best batsmen.
Leadign fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been declared fit after missing the third test against Pakistan this month because of an ankle injury.
Kumble was confident India had had sufficient buildup for the four-match test series despite a washed out tour match, as the tourists would draw on three recent home tests against Pakistan.
"We have done whatever we could and we have got the maximum out of the practice facilities, but we have played a lot of test cricket in the past and are match-fit and looking forward to tomorrow," he said.
India (from): Anil Kumble (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Wasim Jaffer, Dinesh Karthik, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Irfan Pathan, Virender Sehwag, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pankaj Singh, RP Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar.
- AAP
