Sourav Ganguly urges India to play three spinners in Nagpur T20I

What’s the story?

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has urged Virat Kohli’s team to play three spinners in the second T20I against England at Nagpur. The 44-year-old wanted the hosts to drop veteran seamer Ashish Nehra and bring in Amit Mishra for the must-win encounter.

“The only thing that I would do if I was Kohli is drop a fast bowler and play a spinner. Play Hardik Pandya and probably play one other fast bowler, maybe (Jasprit) Bumrah, and give the other fast bowler a break and do something different to England and make the spinners bowl with the new ball. Chahal is different, he bowls flattish so maybe he can start with the new ball and get the England top order batsmen to think differently”, Ganguly told India Today.

However, he admitted, “It is a big ground in Nagpur but it is a high scoring ground. The game against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup (earlier this year) was a bit different because I have not seen the pitch turn so much in a T20 game and I don't see it turning that much this Sunday either. I think India will have to find the right balance as a bowling unit.”

In case you didn’t know...

The last couple of international matches at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur came during the 2016 World T20. After New Zealand’s spin troika of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Nathan McCullum famously routed India for 79, Afghanistan’s variety of spinners strangled eventual champions West Indies on another raging turner.

The heart of the matter

On a green-tinged surface in Kanpur, India went down by seven wickets to Eoin Morgan’s team. Requiring a victory to keep the series alive, the hosts will be hoping for some assistance for their spin bowlers.

In the first match, Nehra conceded 31 runs from 3 overs while Bumrah was taken apart by Sam Billings thus leaving the spinners with too much to do. Ahead of the Nagpur encounter, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal did not reveal much regarding India’s combination.

What’s next?

Requiring a victory to keep the series alive, India have to hit the ground running in order to keep the visitors at bay. Opener KL Rahul’s spot could be under threat after a string of low scores while the bowling attack should depend on the surface.

Sportskeeda’s Take

One of India’s greatest ever captains, Ganguly’s words certainly carry significant weight. Taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of England’s batting lineup, it might not be a bad idea to try and attack them with spin.