Chester-le-Street, July 1 -- India made a bold tactical statement by opting to bat first and fielding three specialist spinners despite a grass-covered pitch as captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss in the opening T20 International against England at the Riverside Ground here on Wednesday.
In a selection that defied conventional expectations in English conditions, India packed their attack with spinners Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy and all-rounder Axar Patel, while relying on just two frontline seamers in Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. All-rounder Shivam Dube completes the bowling resources.
The move came despite statistical trends favouring pace at Chester-le-Street, where fast bowlers have enjoyed superior averages and strike rates i...