India vs England 2016: 5 reasons why India will get over the English hurdle

#3 Swann-Panesar to Ali-Rashid

Can Moeen Ali deliver in India?

While Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are good spinners in their own right, they are hardly a match to the Panesar-Swann pair that tormented India in 2012. Ali and Rashid picked up 11 and 7 wickets in 2 Tests in a series where Bangladeshi newcomer Hasan Miraz and veteran Shakib Al Hasan picked up 19 and 12 wickets respectively.

Ali has been consistent with bat and ball. He managed 11 wickets but at an average of 46 against Pakistan at home. Rashid, despite his 37 ODIs has only played 5 Tests in which he has picked 15 wickets. The Indian batsmen are definitely not going to make it easy for him, with their flamboyant strokeplay, especially against spin.

If England are to even challenge Indian dominance, their spinners will have to outdo the pair of Ashwin, currently the world’s best spinner and venomous in sub-continental conditions and Jadeja, who is probably one of the most accurate spinners playing cricket currently. India can also call upon the services of Amit Mishra, whose leg-spin will be adding to the variety.