The Spinners Must Travel to England Earlier to Adapt to the Conditions - Sunil Joshi

After India wrapped up the one-off Test against Afghanistan inside a couple of days, the focus has now shifted to India’s tour of England which is slated to start from 3^rd July.

The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bagged 11 wickets between them, as India annihilated Afghanistan by an innings and 262 runs in Bengaluru. However, they are well aware of the fact that it will be all new ball game in England and they will be up for a stiff challenge.

Former India spinner and a current spin bowling consultant of Bangladesh, Sunil Joshi has urged the spinners to travel early and get used to the conditions in England. It has been a trend which is set by the batsmen and the fast bowlers. He further stated a well-designed plan for the spinners would make life easier for them.

“Spinners should go early and feel the conditions better. Straightaway going there and playing a three-day game or a four-day game may not help them. Spending a week or at least ten days and bowling in different weather conditions will be more comfortable for the Indian spinners,” Joshi was quoted as saying by the Sportstar.

Joshi has played club cricket in England before and knows what it takes for a spinner to succeed in England.

“In England, breeze plays an important role. When the sun comes out, the wind will be there. The conditions will be chillier when it is cloudy. You got to have a specific objective to counter it. That needs to be addressed,” Joshi said.

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“Today, spinners are not just bowlers; they are wicket-takers in all formats of the game. At times, you can shift roles, but you cannot write off-spinners from a particular format,” he said while reflecting on the performance of the Indian spinners in South Africa.

England won’t have the same surfaces as India, says Joshi

“We all know what [Yuzvendra] Chahal and Kuldeep [Chahal] did [in South Africa]. England will not have the same surfaces. Bowling with and against the breeze is challenging there. The young spinners should be able to negotiate that,” Joshi added.

“You need to know your spinners, who would withstand in all the five Tests, and who would be your back-up. I am sure the Indian coaching staff will have this in mind,” he added.

The limited-overs spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal doesn’t have the experience of playing senior level cricket in England. Ashwin had played county cricket in the past. However, Sunil Joshi feels it is all about the mentality and how they perform their routines.

“Be it a star player or not, one has to go through the routines. Your inconsistency will come when you miss routines. So, bottom-line is, be it, anyone, you have to tick all the boxes required to be a top performer for the team,” Joshi signed off.

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