As it stands, India have taken a 2-0 lead in the T20I series against England. The visitors came close in the second match but ended up on the losing side, courtesy of a masterclass from Tilak Verma. However, one noticeable difference between the two sides has been their backing of pacers versus spinners. While India have started the games with a spin-dominated bowling attack, England have preferred going with quicks.
Typically, Indian pitches are considered more suitable for spinners, much like in other subcontinent nations. Moreover, the smaller boundaries make life difficult for pacers. Yet, England have chosen to play four pacers in both games so far. As good as the likes of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are, on 60-65 meter boundaries, even thick edges tend to fly over the fence for six.
As a result, Jofra Archer bowled the most expensive spell of his T20 career in the second game. Mark Wood, despite being at his fiery best in terms of pace, he has still gone for plenty. On the other hand, India have managed to restrict the flow of runs in the middle overs, thanks to Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel. England appear to lack options to keep things tight and stop the flow of runs during the middle overs, especially when their pacers go for plenty, as they did in the first two games.
One way pacers can make an impact in this format in India is by getting the ball to move early in the innings, something Arshdeep Singh has done quite well in the first two games by picking up early wickets. In contrast, England’s lead pacers rely heavily on their pace. Mark Wood and Jofra Archer typically trouble batters with express speed and extra bounce from a length.
However, in Indian conditions, that has not worked as effectively, with top edges flying over the keeper’s head for boundaries. Only Brydon Carse looked impactful in the second T20I with taking 3 wickets on his T20I debut, with Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Jamie Overton and Gus Atkinson looking fairly inconsistent and ineffective in the series so far.
Varun Chakravarthy, with his deceptive googlies, has spun a web around the English batters. Axar Patel has varied his lengths well, and is currently the second most economical bowler in the series, only behind Ravi Bishnoi.
For England, Jofra Archer has conceded 81 runs in 8 overs, going at an economy of 10.12 runs an over. Mark Wood and Jamie Overton have also had an economy in excess of 9 runs per over. Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone, the only two spinners for England, have kept things tight, giving away only 62 runs combined in 9 overs.
The faith that the visitors have shown in their fast-bowlers has been questionable, and it would not be too much of a surprise if Jos Buttler bowls 12 overs of spin in the final three games. If anything, these are signs that England could consider the inclusion of Rehan Ahmed in the side for the remainder of the series.
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