India is known as the land of cricket pitches where the spinners will wreak havoc on the visitors. But then again, the thing about pitches is that they don’t discriminate, they spin both ways for both teams. That is exactly what has transpired since the beginning of the series against England.
England, who arrived in India with a spin attack that consisted of debutants and inexperienced players mostly, were not expected to cause much trouble. But to everyone’s and coach Brendon McCullum’s surprise, the spinners have turned the fortunes in their favor oftentimes across the past two matches with the biggest example being that of Tom Hartley’s match-winning seven-for in the first Test in Hyderabad.
The same trend continued through the second Test in Visakhapatnam as well, albeit suffering a loss. The likes of debutant Shoaib Bashir scalped four wickets, Hartley bagged five and Rehan Ahmed got him six, altogether claiming 15 wickets in the match.
Coach Brendon McCullum expressed his joy in witnessing his spinners outperform beyond their initial expectations and lauded all the newcomers for their resilience and performances.
“There are heaps of positives. Our spin bowling unit, albeit young and raw, have shown they’ve got what it takes. The one thing I guess you don’t know about in the heat of battle is the character the guys possess,” McCullum stated, according to Sky Sports.
“The development of the young spinners has been fantastic. Not just their skillset but their passion to want the big moments. I am absolutely delighted in how they have performed with very little experience under their belt.”
McCullum also praised skipper Ben Stokes for showcasing faith, leadership and conviction in his bowlers, which he believes in turn has enabled them to perform to the best of their abilities.
“I put it down to the skipper. He has total conviction in his methods and is incredibly empathetic towards people. He spends time with them to ensure his messaging is really consistent, in his body language and behaviours.
“He backs up what he says to them off the field with opportunities on the field. He is desperate to lead this team and he wants to take this team to whatever level he can take it,” the 32-year-old added.
England will take on India in the third Test of their five-match series in Rajkot from February 15th onwards.
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