India will be in a good position ahead of the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 in Nagpur on February 9 as they have striking options in the spin bowling department. It is speculated that the hosts might decide to field four spinners and turn the pitch into a spin-friendly surface. Ravichandran Ashwin is likely to be included in the playing XI because of his exceptional record in India and his reputation as one of the finest spin bowlers produced in the country.
The impressive performances of Axar Patel and Axar Patel in the Bangladesh Tests have led to the return of Ravindra Jadeja from a long injury, raising the possibility of India fielding four spinners against Australia in Nagpur. Despite how inviting this idea might be, there are a few reasons why it would not be a good move.
Indian bowling unit will be strengthened by pacers with different styles of bowling
India’s performance in their home season in 2019, where they defeated South Africa and Bangladesh in Test matches, highlighted the proficiency of their fast bowling even in local conditions. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav showed they could be effective even in soil similar to their own. Mohammed Siraj provided a great substitute for Ishant Sharma and has been playing exceptionally well lately. With this form and experience, India will likely pick two pacers and make sure their lineup bowlers have variety.
Reverse swing a critical factor
Recollecting on the 2010 Nagpur Test between India and South Africa, the hosts were overwhelmed by the bowling of Dale Steyn, an exemplary fast bowler, who managed a career-best 7/51 on a batting-friendly pitch. This has prompted the home side not to pick more than one pacer against Australia, but if and when the ball begins to reverse swing, pacers from both ends might be needed.
At least one spinner gets under bowled
India has opted to use three spinners in their matches, such as the recent 2021 home Tests against England. This series resulted in a successful 3-1 scoreline, with Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin causing the most damage. Nonetheless, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar were rarely utilised due to the fact that when a pitch is conducive to spin bowling, two spinners are typically enough to cause chaos. As such, having four spinners could potentially mean that at least one or even two would not be fully utilised. Therefore, the team might choose to reinforce their batting or add an extra fast bowler instead.
