Image Credit- BCCI
Three spinners or three quick bowlers? Should you prefer to play Akash Deep over Mohammed Siraj or combine both with Jasprit Bumrah to launch a three-pronged pace attack? Choose between R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the tried and trusted combination, or go with Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel.
When India choose their playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru beginning on October 16, they will have a lot of issues to consider.
During the current World Test Championship [WTC] cycle, India has predominantly used two fast bowlers and three spinners in their home Test matches. In the recently finished series against Bangladesh, they used Deep, Siraj, and Bumrah in the playing XI both times they played a third seamer in two of the seven Tests they played at home.
Prior to the second Bangladesh Test in Kanpur, which was played on a black soil ground, they were in a similar circumstance. They proceeded to include Ashwin and Jadeja as the two spinners along with the three pacers in the XI.
Ideally, India would prefer to field three spinners against New Zealand, particularly given the type of Bengaluru surface available. The playing surface for the first Test matchup with New Zealand is similar to the black soil pitch at Kanpur. It is acknowledged that the pitch will probably turn slowly and have low bounce, making it more difficult to make shots. As the Test match progresses, the surface will probably encourage spinners, albeit it won’t be a rank-turner.
Given that New Zealand has enough talented seamers, including Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, and Tim Southee, who can take advantage of any surface wetness, India wouldn’t object to that. Furthermore, New Zealand has been lacking in its spin game lately. This year, in 12 innings, spin has claimed 67 of 104 wickets for New Zealand, their highest rate in the previous five years.
Not to mention the danger the Indian spinners offer. With 53 wickets at 21.18 in ten games, Ashwin has the most wickets in this WTC cycle. Axar has five in two Tests, Kuldeep has 19 in four, and Jadeja has 35 in nine. You would think that a three-spin attack would be obvious.
However, the current cloudy and wet weather may make it necessary for India to decide whether to field three seamers or three spinners in their bowling unit.
Over the past week or two, Bengaluru has seen constant rain, and the following few days are expected to bring more rain and cloud cover. Due to a persistent drizzle on Monday, the day before the Test, the surface was covered for the majority of the morning.
Along with closely examining the surface, India captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and player Rishabh Pant also had a long conversation with the curator of the pitch.
There didn’t seem to be much grass on the surface, but since it was covered and cloudy overhead, there was a chance the fast bowlers may get some help early on Wednesday. If that’s the case, India may choose to start Deep, Siraj, and Bumrah in the starting lineup.
In the event that India plays three spinners, there may also be a dilemma over which fast bowler to choose: Siraj, who has experience, or Deep, a rookie who has looked the part. Do they play Kuldeep or Axar even with the spin unit, even though Ashwin and Jadeja are certain to start?
In their last two Test matches, which they won against Bangladesh, India used three fast bowlers. They could remain true to their guns and launch a comparable attack because it was raining and the weather was overcast. In any case, it is likely that India would revert to a three-spin strategy given the upcoming two Tests are slated for Pune and Mumbai, where the surface is expected to take much more turn. However, how may that attack appear?