Three Talking Points from the England Squad Selection

#3 The Edgbaston Pitch may be Slower than expected

There is a strong possibility that England could go with two spinners

When India arrived in England, the expectation is grassy green pitches where swing and pace dominate. Part of this is due to natural conditions where swing dominates, no matter who arrives on the British Isles.

Moreover, to an extent, this is further exacerbated when Indian batsmen come to England considering their struggles in such conditions.

However, this may not be the case for the first test of the series. This can be seen from the fact that England has selected two spinners in their thirteen man squad. Considering that only two players will be dropped from this squad in the first test, there is a strong possibility that England goes with two spinners: Ali and Rashid.

Playing two spinners at home is unheard of for the English side, suggesting that they believe that the pitch may be slower and more conducive to spin bowling than expected. Moreover, this is supported by other observations.

The last county game played at Edgbaston saw spinners take 41.67% of the wickets in the game, unusually high in England. India will be hoping that this is the case.

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