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Key Points

Shubman Gill revealed India may field two spinners in Birmingham after their pace-heavy attack struggled at Leeds. The skipper noted Jadeja’s effectiveness on a slow wicket where other bowlers leaked runs. Gill suggested an extra spinner could’ve changed the game’s outcome by containing runs. With Sundar and Kuldeep available, India might tweak their combination for better control.

Key Points: Shubman Gill Considers Second Spinner for Birmingham Test vs England

  • Gill hints at dual-spin strategy after Leeds defeat
  • Pacers leaked runs despite Bumrah's efforts
  • Jadeja's control could be key on slow tracks
  • Kuldeep or Sundar may partner Jadeja if pitch aids spin
2 min read

Second spinner won't be bad option if...: Indian skipper Gill ahead of Birmingham Test

India skipper Shubman Gill hints at playing two spinners in Birmingham Test after Leeds loss, citing pitch conditions and containment strategy.

"If the wicket is similar to last match, a second spinner won’t be a bad option – Shubman Gill"

Birmingham, July 1

Ahead of the second Test against England, Indian skipper Shubman Gill said that the strategy to play two spinners would not be a "bad option" if the wicket is the same as the previous Test match at Leeds.

Going into the second Test at Birmingham, India is trailing 0-1. During the last game, India failed to defend a 371-run set, with four fast bowling options in Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, and Mohammed Siraj, and only one spinner in Ravindra Jadeja. The fast bowlers, except for Bumrah, leaked runs at a high economy, costing India the match as much as their poor low-order batting.

In the squad, India has spin bowling options in all-rounder Washington Sundar and an attacking, wicket-taking Kuldeep Yadav, besides Jadeja.

Speaking on whether the team could play a second spinner at Birmingham, Gill said during the pre-match presser, "It is not common to see two spinners in England. But the weather was not typical."

"It rained a lot and the sun was shining. In the last match also, if we had an extra spinner in the 4th inning, the game could have been better. There were some patches in the wicket which we could have exploited," he added.

During the match, Gill said whenever Jadeja was bowling, the team felt that they were containing chances, and it was much easier for spinners to contain runs as compared to pacers, especially with the ball getting old and stopping swinging.

"The wickets were also good for batting. So, if the fast bowlers are not creating enough chances for the fast bowlers, then we feel that maybe a second spinner on these kinds of wickets will at least contain a run till the second new ball comes. So, looking at the last match, I felt that if the wicket is going to be similar to how it was in the last match, then a second spinner would be a bad option," he concluded.

India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Ananya R
Why not give Kuldeep a chance? He's been warming the bench for too long. We need wicket-taking options, not just containment. England batsmen struggle against quality wrist spin as we've seen in past series.
S
Sarah B
As a cricket fan living in UK, I must say the weather has been unusually dry this summer. The pitch at Leeds did show signs of wear. Smart move by Gill to consider local conditions rather than sticking to traditional formulas.
V
Vikram M
With all due respect, our batting collapse was the bigger issue than bowling. We can play 5 spinners but if we don't put runs on board, we can't win matches. Need to fix our middle order woes first!
K
Karthik V
Washington Sundar could be the perfect all-round option. His batting adds depth and his off-spin creates different angles. England's left-handers struggled against Ashwin last tour, Sundar can exploit that.
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Priya S
Good to see young captain thinking out of the box! 😊 But hope team management backs his decisions fully. Last time when Kohli wanted to play two spinners in England, he was overruled. Let the captain lead!

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