India’s departure to England for the World Test Championship final was preceded by a virtual press conference with Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri, where the two were heard discussing strategy without realising they were ‘live’.
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Unaware that the press conference had started, Kohli and Shastri were briefly heard discussing plans that seemed to suggest Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami could start in the World Test Championship final.
In an audio clip that’s now on social media, Kohli can be heard mentioning “Lala (Mohammed Shami)” and “(Mohammed) Siraj” while discussing bowling tactics for the New Zealand batsmen, with Shastri talking about bowling round the wicket, understandably as a tactic to the left-handers in the opposite team.
The audio is muffled beyond that, although a few suggestions on social media refer to Kohli specifically singling out Shami and Siraj as options to employ for the plan.
https://twitter.com/WeBleedBlue007/status/1400062445905879045?s=19
— DeepaK_17 (@79foreveR_) June 2, 2021
Just before the press conference started, Kohli & Shastri were discussing about Wagner bowling bouncer and also about Lala (Siraj). They were checking the scores of #ENGvNZ Test.
— Nirmal Kumar Raut (@Nirmal_TaxWorld) June 2, 2021
Virat and Shastri were discussing plans and didn't realise they were live😭
Siraj playing most probably!🤷♂️
— Kanav Bali🏏 (@Concussion__Sub) June 2, 2021
Kohli and Shastri hinted Siraj will play at the start of the press conference when they dint realise stream started .
What I understood is they were watching England vs nz and Kohli said something like : Siraj ko around se dalte hai .
— ARJUN (@Arjun__K_) June 2, 2021
India’s fast bowlers for the WTC final has been a subject of huge debate in the build-up to the big clash. With all quicks fit and firing, India have a problem of plenty in the pace attack. None of the four first-choice options – Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj – contribute much with the bat, making it difficult to accommodate all four in the XI. The presence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and a couple of other spin all-rounders, poses further questions.
If the leaked audio suggests anything, there’s a possibility of seeing Siraj and Shami operating alongside Bumrah. It’s all speculations though, and the final planning could take a different route as the opening day approaches.
