IND vs ENG second Test | Won't be afraid to play all-spin attack in Visakhapatnam, says Brendon McCullum
The Hindu
England's debutant spinner Tom Hartley's impressive performance in the opening Test against India raises the possibility of an all-spin attack in the second Test.
Tom Hartley has not only won the opening Test for England but more importantly dented the psyche of the Indian batters, who might have to face an all-spin attack in the second Test starting here on Friday.
England beat India by 28 runs in the opening Test with debutant Tom Hartley bagging seven in the second innings having gone for plenty in the first.
McCullum is eagerly waiting to have a look at the track and judge how it would behave.
Although traditionally a high-scoring ground, it has seen domination by the spinners lately, deeming that the conditions are likely to suit the latter.
On the same note, McCullum warned that if the pitch indeed favours the spinners, the Three Lions would not be afraid to field an all-spin attack, hinting that uncapped spinner Shoaib Bashir, who missed out on Hyderabad due to visa delay, could be handed his debut. However senior most spinner Jack Leach's knee injury will be a concern.
However in Hartley, Joe Root, Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, he would still have four spinners and he can replace Mark Wood with an extra batter.
"If the wickets continue to spin as much as what we saw in the first Test as the series goes on, look, we won't be afraid to play all spinners or a balance of what we've got," the former New Zealand skipper was quoted as saying to SEN Radio.
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