3 reasons why India should not play 4 spinners in 1st Test vs Australia

There has been a lot of talk about the pitch that India may offer to Australia ahead of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 in Nagpur on Thursday, February 9. Some reports claim that the hosts might also be tempted to play with four spinners and unleash a rank-turner.

India will feel lucky to have a good headache in the spin department, with four quality spinners to choose from. Ravichandran Ashwin seems to be a certain starter as he is one of the best spinners India have produced and has a phenomenal record at home.

Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav showed what they are capable of in the Bangladesh Tests and are in good form across formats. The addition of Ravindra Jadeja, who is back from a long injury lay-off, has sparked questions about whether reports suggesting the hosts are playing four spinners are really true.

As exciting as it may sound to unleash the spin quartet on the Aussies, here are three reasons why playing four spinners in Nagpur isn't a great idea.

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#3 The reverse-swing factor

The Nagpur Test between India and South Africa back in 2010 brings memories of absolute annihilation for the hosts. Dale Steyn, one of the greatest fast bowlers to ever play the game, made the ball reverse swing and bagged career-best figures of 7/51 on a pitch that was an absolute belter for batting.

With reverse-swing likely to be a factor in Nagpur, the hosts may not want to risk playing four spinners and going in with just one pacer against Australia. There may come a time in the game when the ball might be reversing big and pacers might be needed from both ends.

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#2 One spinner will always be under bowled

India have played three spinners in the recent past, with the best example being the 2021 home Tests against England. They did win the series comfortably with a 3-1 scoreline and Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin did the majority of the damage.

However, many would know that the third spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, and later Washington Sundar, were both under bowled. This is because when you unleash a rank-turner, two spinners are more often than not enough to wreak havoc in the opposition.

So playing with four spinners means that the hosts run the risk of under bowling at least one spinner or even two. Instead, they could either bolster their batting or add an extra pacer.

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#1 In-form pacers add variety to the Indian bowling attack

India's home season back in 2019 where they whitewashed South Africa as well as Bangladesh in Tests, proved just how good their pace attack was even in home conditions.

The likes of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav proved they could have an impact even in subcontinent conditions. Mohammed Siraj has done a great job in filling in for Ishant Sharma and has been in sensational form of late.

With such form and experience at the hosts' disposal, they would want to play at least two pacers and ensure there is enough variety in the bowling attack.