Indian captain Shubman Gill has hinted that they could play two spinners in the second Test match against England. Gill said it could have been a different story if they had played two spinners in the opening Test at Leeds, Headingley.

Ravindra Jadeja played as the solitary spinner in the playing XI but he went wicketless. Jadeja could not create an impact in the second innings as he picked up a single wicket despite rough outside the left-hander’s off-stump. 

India has Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav in their squad and it has been reported that the former can be included in the playing XI. But against England, Kuldeep has bagged 21 wickets in six Test matches at an impressive average of 22.28 and many cricket experts have backed his inclusion.

Shubman Gill said in a pre-match press conference, “It is not common to see two spinners in England. But the weather was not typical. It rained a lot and the sun was shining. In the last match also, if we had an extra spinner in the 4th inning, the game could have been better. There were some patches in the wicket which we could have exploited.”

Gill said a second spinner will come in handy as he expects a similar batting friendly pitch in the second Test.

“The wickets were also good for batting. So, if the fast bowlers are not creating enough chances for the fast bowlers, then we feel that maybe a second spinner on these kinds of wickets will at least contain a run till the second new ball comes. So, looking at the last match, I felt that if the wicket is going to be similar to how it was in the last match, then a second spinner won’t be a bad option.”

The second Test match between India and England will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham from July 2nd onwards.