England head coach McCullum says they won’t be afraid to play spin quartet if conditions are favourable in Vizag
England’s Shoaib Bashir during a practice session ahead of the second Test against India in Visakhapatnam yesterday. Pics/Getty Images
Ben Stokes’s England side could go with an all-spin bowling attack against an inexperienced India batting line-up when the second Test begins in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
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Rohit Sharma’s side suffered only their fourth home defeat in 47 Tests since 2013 last week in Hyderabad as England came from 190 runs behind on first innings to record a stunning 28-run victory.
India will be without seasoned Test players Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja as they attempt to level the five-match series on a pitch that is expected to turn sharply from the start.
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Brendon McCullum
They have brought in uncapped batsmen Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan to replace the injured Rahul and Kohli, who opted out of the first two Tests for personal reasons. Spinner Washington Sundar comes into the squad for Jadeja.
Bashir may get nod
England’s uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir finally joined his England teammates on Sunday after a visa delay. Coach Brendon McCullum hinted Bashir could start if England go “quids-in” with a four-pronged spin attack.
“We won’t be afraid to play all our spinners,” New Zealander McCullum told SEN Radio as England look to extend their series lead to 2-0.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley took nine wickets on debut in Hyderabad but lone pace spearhead Mark Wood toiled for 25 wicketless overs meaning Bashir “comes into the calculations,” said McCullum. “We’ll have a look at conditions and make a call. You’re not going to get every call right, especially over here,” he added.
Slow bowlers accounted for 18 of India’s 20 wickets in the first Test, the other two were run-outs, and England will decide their line-up after assessing conditions in the southern city. “It’s hard to read some of the wickets but we’ll make a decision and go quids-in on trying to commit to that. Then we’ll see where we land,” said McCullum.
Leach set to miss 2nd Test
Meanwhile, England’s most experienced spinner Jack Leach is all set to miss the second Test against India, owing to a left knee injury sustained during the series-opener in Hyderabad.
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