While there is no hard and fast rule that a team cannot play four frontline spinners in the XI, that is something, which hasn’t been followed by anyone across the world. Even back in the 70s, when Indian bowling was dominated by the spin quartet of E Prasanna, Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Bishen Bedi, and B. S. Chandrasekhar, it was very rare to see all four play together.
But as the second India vs England Test at Vizag is approaching, many experts believe that the hosts might be tempted to play four spinners — R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav, with Jasprit Bumrah as the only pacer. For as long as one can remember, the last time India played for slow bowlers, was in 2012, in the Test against England in Nagpur.
It is the same series where India lost 1-2. Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, and Pragyan Ojha played the match for the team. Although the encounter ended in a draw, it must be reminded, that the English team, which is considered weak against spin, scored 330 and 352/4d against this quartet, while India could manage 326/9 in the only innings they batted. There were centuries from Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell for England, in the match.
Interestingly, the Indian spinners, through economical, leaked away a lot of runs. Pragyan returned with match figures of 1/141, Ashwin with 3/165, Chawla 4/133, and Jadeja 3/117.
4 Spinners Could be Dangerous
Playing four spinners doesn’t guarantee 20 wickets for India, even in helpful conditions. Given the kind of beating they received in the Hyderabad Test, their confidence could be low, and with Jadeja not around, it could immediately backfire. Plus, Sundar doesn’t bowl that often, and last played a Test for India, close to three years back.
Kuldeep also played his last Test in December 2022. To expose him to a batting lineup that is firing at the moment, could mean a lot of runs. Instead, perhaps, India should look to retain Mohammad Siraj in the team and add an extra spinner in the form of Sundar, who gives them another batting option as well.
