India figured out England’s general ‘ineptitude against spin’ during the second Test in Chennai and used it to its advantage in the ‘Pink Ball’ game by unleashing a spin-heavy attack on a helpful track, says former Australia captain Ian Chappell. He was indeed right.
Indian spin duo of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 11 and 7 wickets respectively to bowl out England for 112 and 81 in the two innings en route to its 10-wicket win in the third Test on Thursday.
When faced with a serious spin challenge, the England batsmen didn’t trust their defence, which eventually resulted in panicked attempts to attack the Indian spinners.
Chapell wrote, “Their choice to reverse-sweep rather than to leave their crease to change the bowler’s length is a classic example. How can a risky premeditated shot be less dangerous than what was previously a trusted technique to unsettle good spinners? Shrewd use of footwork not only helps negate the spin but also puts a batsman in a position to direct the ball where he wants”.