The India cricket team may have leveled the series in Visakhapatnam, but their performance was far from perfect. With Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant out, all the focus has been on the Indian batting. But what people are missing is the lackluster display put on by the Indian spinners so far in the India vs England Test series.
On the spinning Hyderabad, the English bowlers outdid their much more experienced and skilled counterparts. The Indian spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel took 14 wickets, while Rehan Ahmed, Joe Root, Jack Leach, and Tom Hartley picked up 18 wickets.
A similar pattern appeared in Vizag. With Jack Leach out, the England cricket team brought in Sohaib Bashir, and with a combined experience of 3 Tests between their frontline spinner and part-time Joe Root, they out-bowled Axar, Ashwin, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Numbers Game: Indian spin trio not up to mark
So far, English spinners have taken 10 more wickets than the far superior Indian bowling lineup. Not only that, but their average and economy are better than Ashwin, Axar, Kuldeep, and Jadeja, while they are just a little behind in bowling strike rate.
Considering that even India’s least experienced spinner Kuldeep Yadav (9) has played more matches than Rehan, Bashir, and Hartley combined (6), having such poor numbers is one of the major reasons why Rohit Sharma and Co. lost the IND vs ENG 1st Test.
Ashwin and Axar, India’s main spinner in both matches, have combined taken 14 wickets. Whereas England’s two-match-old spinner, Tom Hartley alone, has 14 wickets, including a match-winning 7-wicket haul in Hyderabad. Both Rehan Ahmed (8) and Joe Root (5) have also out-bowled Axar and have a better average and economy than him.
| Spinners | Wickets | Average | SR | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 33 | 33.9 | 58.36 | 3.48 |
| India | 23 | 38.39 | 55 | 4.18 |
