
India may field three left-arm spinners in the first Test against Sri Lanka starting next week. Bowling coach Morne Morkel hinted at the strategy on Thursday, saying conditions could favour such a…
India may field three left-arm spinners in the first Test against Sri Lanka starting next week. Bowling coach Morne Morkel hinted at the strategy on Thursday, saying conditions could favour such a combination. NDTV Sports reports that Morkel indicated the team management is considering this approach, though no final decision has been announced.
If three left-arm spinners play, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel are expected to feature alongside either Kuldeep Yadav or Shahbaz Ahmed. The move would leave out a fast bowler, possibly Mohammed Siraj or Umesh Yadav. The team is yet to be officially named.
Some will call this defensive against an inexperienced Sri Lankan batting line-up, but the real test is whether the pitch turns square. Watch for the team sheet on match day: the number of frontline pacers dropped will tell us how much confidence the think-tank has in its spinners to bowl 40-plus overs each.
Sources (2): sports.ndtv.com, sports.ndtv.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.