No spin test for England

He also insisted that the Australian team will also be facing teams bereft of spinners for their warm-up games when they visit India in February next year.

As a result,in the first of three warm-up matches,Alastair Cook & Co will go up against a Suresh Raina-led India A squad,whose bowling attack will consist of four seam bowlers,including Irfan Pathan and Ashok Dinda.

It’s no secret that tuning up their skills against spin bowling is an integral part of non-subcontinental teams’ acclimatization programme whenever they tour this part of the world. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni too has never made any bones about spin being his team’s major strength and wanting pitches at home that would suit his spinners. And England will now have to wait till the first Test in Ahmedabad on November 15 before they encounter quality spin. With Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha having formed a formidable partnership over the last two home serie,Cook and his team are certainly in store for a stringent test.

In addition,with Ashwin having established himself as a match-winner-he was the man-of-the-series against both West Indies and New Zealand-the selectors were not keen on looking at other spin options. The squad for the three-day game,however,does include a bunch of part-time spinners in the form of Yuvraj Singh,who has been picked after scoring a breathtaking double-hundred for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy last week,Manoj Tiwary,Ashok Menaria and skipper Raina himself. The visitors will have to make do with warming-up against them.

BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale preferred to play it safe when asked about the absence of spinners in the India A line-up,insisting that it was the selection committee’s prerogative to pick the best team possible. “It’s up to the selection committee what line-up they go with. They thought it was the best available to play England and went ahead with it,” Jagdale told The Indian Express.

The selection committee,meanwhile,ignored Mumbai’s Rohit Sharma,who has struggled in the shorter formats of late,while Shikhar Dhawan,who was picked originally,has opted out,since the match will clash with his wedding date,Dhawan has been replaced by Ambati Rayudu.

ranji opener optional

MEANWHILE,those India A players willing to represent their state teams in the opening Ranji Trophy games starting from November 2 will be allowed to leave Mumbai on the final evening of the three-day encounter. The warm-up game against England will get over on November 1,a day before the premier domestic tournament kicks off at various venues across the country.

“Those players who want to be part of the Ranji Trophy can join their respective teams the next day. As the match is in Mumbai,players can catch the evening flight. It will be up to the player whether he wants to play the opening Ranji game or not. On our part,we will help them in getting to wherever they need to be,” said Jagdale.

Squad: Suresh Raina (c),Murali Vijay,Ambati Rayudu,Ajinkya Rahane,Yuvraj Singh,Manoj Tiwary,Wriddhimaan Saha (wk),Irfan Pathan,Vinay Kumar,Parwinder Awana,Ashok Dinda,Robin Bist,Ashok Menaria,Abhinav Mukund.

@MichaelVaughan

* India to play no Spinners against England in the A team Warm up game…If that’s what the game has come 2???? Pathetic tactics …

* …It’s taking home advantage to a new level… Other teams might follow… Poor form…!