Why India should play two spinners in the first Test

India’s full-fledged tour of the UK was expected to be a close contest, and so far, it has lived up to the top billing. While Kohli’s men won the T20I series 2-1, it was the turn of the home side to get one back when they bagged the ODI honors by a similar margin.

Even though all the three ODIs were one-sided affairs, both England and India showcased a hallmark of good sides, not letting the opposition a foot in the door when on top.

The series now moves on to the real “Test”, a five-match series is something that doesn’t come very often these days. While there are personnel changes on either side, one can expect a close and a competitive contest.

From an Indian perspective, all the talk ahead of the first Test has been the playing combination, particularly after the injuries to key bowlers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Will Kohli pick the left arm wrist spin of Kuldeep Yadav after a sensational outing in the limited overs? Will Hardik Pandya bat at 7 and get picked as the all-rounder who will then become the fifth bowling option? If India decides to play two spinners, will they go with the tried and tested Ashwin-Jadeja combination or Kuldeep to partner either one?

According to me, India should go in with 3 fast bowlers and 2 spinners combination. With Dinesh Karthik likely to be slotted in as a wicket-keeper batsman at No 6, the visitors can look at five genuine bowlers. Let’s look at why India should definitely play two spinners in the first Test at Birmingham that starts on August 1st.

3 - Dry summer in the UK

The summer in the UK has been very different compared to the earlier years. It has been a very dry season so far and it was very evident during the T20I and ODI series. The pitches have become bone dry with the sun baking down severely.

There was a lot of turn for spinners from both sides and was exploited too by the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Adil Rashid. Adil Rashid’s delivery to get rid of Virat Kohli in the final ODI at Headingley was a testimony of an abrasive surface that did turn and gripped off the surface.

The overhead conditions don’t seem to change and if it continues, it will be hard to prepare a green wicket that will be helpful for seamers on all the five days. Even though the red ball offers a different challenge, Indian spinners wouldn’t mind bowling on a drier 22 yards.

2 - England’s weakness against spin

It’s a no-brainer that England finds it difficult when faced with spin and more so “wrist spin”. Over the years they have found wanting because of their double mind thought process, whether to attack or defend. It makes more sense for India to attack with as much spin as possible especially when the batsman is new at the crease.

England will hope that their Test captain Joe Root takes the momentum from back to back ODI hundreds into the long format as well. Apart from being one of their premier batsmen, Root is also their No 1 player of spin bowling and their teammates would like to take a leaf out of their skipper’s book.

1 - Balanced bowling combination

Rather than looking at individuals, India should focus on team combination and more so in their bowling department. In the absence of key bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - India’s pace department look a little weak and this where a couple of spinners can add variety to their bowling attack.

The bowling attack will look one dimensional if they play only one spinner and three or four quicks. By playing 3-2 bowling combination, India will have enough firepower to pick 20 wickets irrespective of the conditions on offer.

Here is my playing XI for the first Test:

M Vijay, KL Rahul/S Dhawan, C Pujara, V Kohli, A Rahane, D Karthik, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, M Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav

What will be yours?