India vs England: Visitors might open with two spinners, suggests James Anderson

James Anderson says England might be forced into playing with two spinners in the upcoming five-Test series against India as they look to counter the traditionally spin-friendly conditions.

England have included four specialist spinners in their squad — Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Leach is the only one to have played a Test match in India. The series begins 25 January in Hyderabad and the English team are undergoing a training camp in Abu Dhabi.

The spin department will receive counsel from Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood, who have Test-playing experience in the country.

“There are only four seamers going, so we will not be expecting to bowl a huge amount of seam. It is just a slightly different role,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“You might not bowl the overs you do in England, but they are still important. It probably puts more importance on spells you do bowl. These are the things we will pass on to the guys.

“Reverse swing will play a big part. There might be occasions where we don’t open with a seamer. We might open with two spinners,” said the 41-year-old.

Anderson has a solid record in India, having taken 39 wickets. Although he did not have an impressive outing during the Ashes last year, he still feels he has something to contribute to the team.

“The training I have done this winter, I feel like age is just a number,” he continued.

“…people will always look at my age when it comes up on the screen when I come on to bowl, but for me, it is irrelevant. It is how you feel as a cricketer, and I know I can still dive around in the field and put a shift in with the ball just like I have done for the last 20 years.

“I feel the last five-six years have been the best of my career. Although the Ashes did not go as well as I wanted it to, there have been many series when I have not bowled well throughout my career, and it is just a case of putting in the hard work to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he concluded.

England last won a Test series in India in 2012-13, while their previous tour in 2021 saw them lose the series 3-1.