India’s spinners will be put to the test when they take on England in the first of their two warm-up matches in Guwahati on Saturday.
The defending World Cup champions have an intimidating batting line-up, comprising Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali.
India had an optional training session on the eve of the match with only Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Shardul Thakur making themselves available.
The players and support staff arrived in Guwahati after the 2-1 series triumph against Australia. They lost the final ODI in Rajkot.
The warm-up games don’t have an official status and both teams can use as many players as they want. But it will be naive to think there will be any let-up in intensity.
It will be a good opportunity for Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to test themselves and it is expected that all bowlers will be taking turns to bowl a few overs. It remains to be seen who occupies the No.8 slot with both Ashwin and Shardul being strong contenders.
However, the Indian think-tank might not be keen to expose their spinners against England.
For Buttler’s team, it will be a chance to test their batting in conditions they haven’t quite got used to since their arrival.
The best part about England is their batting depth. Sam Curran at No. 8 and Chris Woakes, who hit a Test hundred against India, speaks volumes about their balance.
