The Times of India in England: A day before the second Test begins against England, the skies were grey and overcast above Edgbaston, mirroring the dark clouds of uncertainty hovering over the Indian dressing room. Upon reaching the stadium, head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, selectorial colleague Shiv Sundar Das, bowling coach Morne Morkel and captain Shubman Gill were seen assembling at the pitch and indulging in an animated discussion for a good 45 minutes.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!It was an optional practice day. Gill turned up, addressed an intriguing press conference, went back to the field to go through an intense batting session before breaking away from the pack and getting busy with sprints and other fitness drills. Amid all this, Gambhir was seen walking up and speaking to him even as Gill was doing his fitness drills.
Poll
Should India play two spinners in the second Test against England?
India are going into this Test a game down in the series after the loss at Headingley. These are not exactly desperate times yet but somehow the anxiety in the camp is palpable. The playing combination has taken centre stage. It’s not just about star bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s likely unavailability for this match. It’s about how India want to approach the Test.
Playing two spinners on this relatively dry surface is the only thing that they have been clear about. Going by Gill’s statements on the eve of the match, India are still unsure about the role they would want the second spinner to play. It has come down to choosing between Washington Sundar’s off-spin and Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm spin.It’s obvious that India are rattled by the high rate of scoring of the English batting lineup. “Containment” was the operative word used by Gill on Tuesday. “In the last Test our bad phases were so bad that the game got away from us. We expect a similar pitch here. We feel the second spinner can offer more control than the pacer. We should have bowled tighter lines in Leeds,” Gill said. “Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja) was making things happen on the last day in the last Test. A second spinner could have given us a better opportunity.” And then he delivered a somewhat contradictory line. “We want to have an attack that can pick 20 wickets. The only thing you have to see is how you manage the extra spinner on Day One. If at all there is anything on this kind of pitch, it is in the first session or first couple of sessions on Day One. So, that is the main call that you have to take on this kind of pitch.”
The problem here is the team management’s obsession with beefing up the batting order. The batting ability of the second spinner could be a big factor in selection. Washington, having batted long in the nets on Monday, didn’t turn up for the optional training session. Kuldeep focused on his batting in the nets on Tuesday. Interestingly, this bunch of boys have played decisive parts in India’s finest overseas Test victories in the last seven-eight years. Playing bold and fearless cricket was at the core of those victories. Leading into this Test, one gets the feeling that they are getting into a safety-first approach against an England team which thrives on no-holds-barred cricket.With Bumrah almost certain to take a break in this match and the lower middle-order batters the soft underbelly of the lineup, decision making has been difficult. Gill spelled out his preferred combination, which will give him steady batting options till No. 8 with three frontline pacers, two spinners and one bowler who can chip in. That the team management under Gambhir is fond of utility players is no secret now. The sudden ascension of Nitish Kumar Reddy in the last Test series in Australia is a reference point.
Reddy’s century on a similar pitch at the MCG might tempt Gill to give him a go. Reddy was seen going through extensive fielding drill in the slip cordon and a thorough batting nets session on Monday. He too took the day off.Right through the press conference, Gill was insistent that he has a very productive pool of players to choose from. Now, it’s just about clarity, about whether India want to be on the offensive against an ultra-aggressive England team or play percentage cricket in their bid to level the series.
