Chennai: Even though the Australian left-arm spinner Ashton Agar impressed with the ball in the practice match against the Board President’s XI on Tuesday with figures of 4/44, the 23-year-old believes leg-spinner Adam Zampa would be preferred ahead of him in the first ODI against India on Sunday.
“It all depends on the wicket. I guess Adam is obviously the front-line spinner in this squad and he has bowled really well in the IPL and previous tours. If the wicket permits, maybe there is a chance for both of us,” said Agar during a press conference on Friday.
He believes wrist spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Adam Zampa can extract more out of flat, high scoring wickets which are expected to be the norm this series. “They are really valuable assets in limited-overs cricket because they can spin the ball both ways. In the night it can be hard to pick up the wrong-uns. In general, they are wicket-taking bowlers. I think they will play a big role in the series. They can certainly put more on the ball. They don’t need more of a spinning wicket to spin the ball and they are all clever,” Agar added.
Agar last played an ODI in September 2015 against England; it was his debut series as well.
When asked if he was ready for India after the long absence from the game, the Australian said “A lot of cricket has been played in these years. It’s more cricketing smarts, experience and bits of confidence which you can take to the middle. I have done hell a lot of work since 2015 and I know my game better. I know what will work for me in the middle. Self-belief is everything at this level.”
