The first test against England in Hyderabad didn’t go as planned for Team India. The first two days were fluent for the hosts, but they lost the grip of the match and ended up losing it. England went in with four spinners (including Joe Root), and it actually worked for them. There is some news circulating that India is also planning to play a four-spinner attack in the next game.
The second game will start on February 2 at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. The pitch is expected to be another rank-turner, so will they also go with four spinners? India currently has Ravi Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav, while Washington Sundar came in as Ravindra Jadeja’s replacement.
Three Reasons why India should pick four spinners for 2nd Test in Vizag
1. Variety in Spin Bowling
Axar Patel is a left-arm orthodos bowler, while Washington Sundar bowls right-arm off-break. Ravi Ashwin is an off-spinner, and Kuldeep Yadav is a left-arm wrist-spinner. All these four bowlers bring different skillsets to the game and give the team a lot of variety to choose from. However, Axar and Jadeja are similar types of bowlers, which didn’t help much in the first game. But now, the Indian captain can have a bowler to choose from according to the situation.
2. Batting Depth
There is no doubt about the batting skills of Axar and Sundar. These two left-handers can bat at any position on the batting order, which is a plus point to have. Meanwhile, Ashwin is also a more than capable bowling all-rounder in test cricket and has proven himself many times. Then, Kuldeep is also pretty capable of handling the bat. If he replaces Mohammed Siraj, then it will give India batting depth until No. 10, which will be a big plus.
3. Pitches and England’s record vs SPIN
There is no doubt that the pitch for the second test might start turning on Day 1. Then going with two pacers will not be a wise option. India went with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj in the first game. Bumrah did the bulk of the bowling as a pacer. Siraj only bowled 11 overs in the match, where England batted for 166 overs combined in two innings. Hence, Mohammed Shami would have been a better choice, but he is not available. Adding to that, England struggles against spin, so it will be ideal to go with four spinners.
