Demystifying India's spinners in comfortable win over India 'A' has set England up for Test series win

It has been a good week for England. Led by Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, their white-ball batsmen have demystified India’s spinners, while England A thumped India A here by 253 runs with more than half a day to spare.

In defeating India A, Alastair Cook batted through a whole day, which is the recipe for England Test victories, and Dawid Malan scored two fifties.

England’s batting line-up for the first Test against India at Edgbaston on Aug 1 has, therefore, reselected itself: Cook, Keaton Jennings, Root, Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, although Buttler has strengthened his case for promotion since the two-Test series against Pakistan.

As England ran through India A’s second innings in only 44 overs, Chris Woakes looked strong and pacy enough in his only spell to be worth a place on his home ground, where his outswing will be favoured. If they prove their fitness in the championship matches starting on Sunday, James Anderson and Stuart Broad will head the attack in England’s 1,000th Test.

Jake Ball and Sam Curran, who made his Test debut at Headingley against Pakistan, could also be included in an extended squad, because reinforcements will be needed for a five-Test series in six weeks. Curran, waspish with a new ball and inventive with an old one, took seven wickets against India A for only 60 runs; but, assuming he replaces Stokes for the second Test at Lord’s, while Stokes attends his court case in Bristol, opening bowlers who are almost twice Curran’s age are unlikely to concede the new ball to him.

As for England’s specialist spinner, nothing happened during the India A game to contradict the judgment passed during it by the head coach Trevor Bayliss when asked to weigh up Jack Leach and Dom Bess, Somerset’s left-armer and off-spinner: “I think Bess has got a lot of his career in front of him. But Leach was the one who was identified a couple of years ago and done well over the last few seasons. I think if he shows any form at all, having a left-arm spinner in there would be of benefit.”

Leach was ruled out of the two Tests against Pakistan when he broke his left thumb in the Taunton nets, allowing Bess to make a fine impression, though with his batting and fielding as much as his bowling. Since recovering, Leach has bowled little, which made it strange that he was given only seven overs against India A, but England A captain Rory Burns said victory was the priority.

“They [India A] seem more comfortable against spin, and we were here to win the game,” Burns said. “Obviously, they’re brought up on it over there. That was just the way it panned out. Leachy came on at the end there and rewarded us with a wicket.”

Leach’s first ball of India A’s second innings was hit out of the ground by the powerful left-hander Rishabh Pant but, to prove his steadiness of temperament, in his second over he had Jayant Yadav – who baulked England with a century in the Mumbai Test of their last tour – miscuing and caught at mid-off. Leach’s fracture had cured well enough to allow him to field at third slip, beside Cook and Malan, as he seeks to expand his all-round game.