Left-Arm Spinners Dominate India-New Zealand Test Series
Left-arm finger spin has emerged as a dominant force in the ongoing India-New Zealand Test series, with four left-arm spinners featuring in the first Test in Bengaluru. Ravindra Jadeja, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, and Kuldeep Yadav all played significant roles, highlighting the effectiveness of this bowling style against right-handed batters.
Left-arm finger spinners possess the ability to bowl attacking lines around the wicket, bringing LBW into play. They can also employ negative tactics by bowling over the wicket and outside leg-stump, as seen in the famous examples of Ashley Giles against Sachin Tendulkar and Nilesh Kulkarni against Delhi.
This advantage has made Ravindra Jadeja India’s first-choice Test spinner, due to his smartness, fielding, and batting contributions. In the first Test, none of the four left-arm spinners were economical, indicating the challenging conditions for spinners.
Despite having another left-arm spinner in Axar Patel, India has added off-spinner Washington Sundar to their squad for the second Test in Pune. This move is aimed at countering the four left-handers in the New Zealand team, as off-spinners can take the ball away from them.
New Zealand may also consider playing Mitchell Santner in Pune, given the expected spin-friendly conditions. Indian batsmen have historically struggled against unfancied left-arm spin at home, making the role of left-arm spinners crucial in this series.
