ENG vs IND, 2nd Test: India To Stick With Four Pacer-One Spinner Combo

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Prediction of rain in London this week may force the Indian team management to stick to the four pacer-one spinner combination in the second Test at the Lord's that begins on Thursday, something already suggested by skipper Virat Kohli. The question is whether R Ashwin, who has picked 43 wickets in 12 overseas Tests since the start of 2018, will get an opportunity.

Ravindra Jadeja's success with the bat (56 in first innings) may keep the door closed on Ashwin even though the India left-arm spinner failed with the ball in the first Test. He bowled 16 overs without a wicket, conceding 50 runs.

Former India spinner Maninder Singh says that in rain-affected matches in England, spinners can only play a supporting role and it is the pacers who have to be the strike bowlers.

"In such conditions, spinners can only contribute. Can't expect a spinner to win you a game. Can't expect spinner to do what [pace bowler] Jasprit Bumrah has done. If there are no rain curtailed games, then spinners will come into play," said the former left-arm spinner to IANS.

This explains why Kohli wants to persist with 4-1 pace-heavy combination. Ashwin's record in England, on the 2014 and 2018 tours, is not exceptional. He has picked 14 wickets in six matches at an average of 32.92 which is nowhere near his career average of 24.56.

But it was his performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final that made him a strong contender to be the primary spinner in the Test series against England. Ashwin picked four wickets for 45 runs in 25 overs in the WTC final against New Zealand in Southampton in June. He followed it up with a six-wicket haul for Surrey in a county game last month.

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