TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham:
An extra spinner in the XI to contain the opposition. Focus on the lower-order for useful contributions. And, finding the right balance between batting depth and picking 20 wickets. These points largely summed up the theme of Shubman Gill’s press conference and India’s strategy on the eve of the second Test against England which gets underway at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on July 2.The conversation around Jasprit Bumrah remained where assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate had left it on Monday, but the captain did add that the final call will be taken later that evening – unlike “last minute” as the Dutch coach had said.While Bumrah’s unavailability could force a straight-swap in the fast-bowling lineup, which is likely to continue with Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj, and have Akash Deep as the replacement, but it’s the support cast around them which has given a sneak peek into the team management’s mindset.With Gill emphasising on the need for containing the opposition with the second spinner, the scales are heavily tilted in favour of Washington Sundar.“It is not usual to play two spinners here but we have not had typical weather here and there has not been enough rain. In the last match also, we felt that if we had an extra spinner in the 4th innings, the game could have been better. There were some patches in the wicket that we could have exploited. Whenever Jaddu Bhai was bowling, we felt that chances were being created. We felt that it is easier to contain the runs for spinners than for fast bowlers, especially when the ball is old. We feel that maybe a second spinner on these kinds of wickets will at least contain a run until the second new ball arrives, where there are more chances,” said Gill in the presser.
Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir need to finalise the two spinners out of the three in the squad. While Ravindra Jadeja looks locked, the big call needs to be taken between specialist Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Sundar. While batting and lower-order contributions are expected to be crucial factors, another aspect that will be taken into consideration will be the role on Day 1. Sundar is very comfortable bowling with the hard new ball and even Kuldeep was practicing with the shining Dukes this week.“They are difficult calls for sure. If you are going with an extra spinner, the only thing that you have to see is how do you manage him on Day 1 if you are bowling on Day 1. And ideally, if at all there is anything on these kinds of wickets, it is on Day 1 in the first session or first couple of sessions. So, taking a call on that and seeing how you manage your second spinner, especially on Day 1 is the main call that you have to take on these kinds of wickets,” explained Gill.
Poll
Who should be the second spinner alongside Ravindra Jadeja?
The likely template for the second match is an extension of what we have seen in the past where India’s obsession with batting depth has left them digging a hole for themselves. The side has lacked the stomach to field specialist bowlers and ever so often, matches have ended with a “what could have been” storyline. They find themselves in a similar position in Birmingham and that crucial call could well point towards the mindset this Test team, under Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir, is likely to have in the near future.There are good arguments both in favour and against Kuldeep and Sundar but if the coach and captain walk the 20 wickets talk, Kuldeep walks into the XI but if the likely obsession on depth continues, Sundar starts.
