"We Have Only 2 Spinners...": Rohit Hits '5 Spinner' Question Out Of The Park

India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday defended picking five spinners in the Champions Trophy squad, saying three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while the other options in that department are Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who all are very capable batters. The spin-heavy side has three fast-bowling options in the form of Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana with Hardik Pandya being the sole pace all-rounder.

"There are only two spinners, the rest are all-rounders. They can bat and bowl," said Rohit when asked about the spin heavy composition of the side.

"We play to our strengths. The three all-rounders give a different dimension to the squad, they add a lot to the squad. We wanted to have players with two skills rather than one," said Rohit ahead of the tournament opener against Bangladesh here.

On the event taking place after eight years, Rohit added: "It is a very important tournament like all ICC events are. We have to do lot of things right to hold the trophy." 

Meanwhile, former players Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson has said India will be the “favourites” to win the Champions Trophy despite the absence of ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. A vital cog in India's title winning campaign in last year's T20 World Cup, Bumrah will miss the eight-team Champions Trophy which got underway on Thursday, but both Morgan and Watson believe Rohit Sharma's team has the necessary firepower to win the title.

“To do the runners and riders, the side that's the front-runner, best positioned across the squads, I would say India… out and out favourites,” Morgan said during the International Masters League's Captain's Day event here on Wednesday.

“I can't really pick any holes in their side. I know that's been the case the last couple of tournaments they've gone into. Finally, (at) Ahmedabad, where Australia picked them, and then the T20 (World Cup) win, where they robbed the trophy out of the South African hands.

“You have to still believe that winning trophies and tasting champagne brings confidence, because once you've been there, you can believe that you can do it again, so that's why India are the favourites,” added Morgan.