India vs England 2016: 4th Test, day 4 - 5 Talking Points

#3 England’s lack of quality spinners

England’s decision to head to India with Ali and Rashid heading the spin department has backfired

Not to say that Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are bad bowlers, but to have them as the side’s leading spinners speaks volumes about the problems England have faced in getting an able replacement for Graeme Swann. Complaining about the nature of pitches in the Indian subcontinent holds no relevance when the spinners in your side are simply not good enough to exploit the same helpful conditions that the Indian spinners are plundering at will.

Backing your players is all well and good, but to have Rashid and Ali as the team’s leading spinners sounds more like a miscalculation about their qualities rather than a risk being taken going wrong.

The series might well be lost the same time tomorrow and Alastair Cook and the England team management will need to seriously reassess how they go about their approach in the Indian subcontinent in the future because it has been simply too easy for the Indian batsmen, not just today, but throughout the series.