When England set off for India I thought Jack Leach would be their most important bowler; two games later – and he played in only the first Test – he has been ruled out of the series and I’m not sure it will have much of an impact. That is down to the performances of England’s young spinners, Jasprit Bumrah’s reverse swing, and the realisation that seam bowling may be more important than anyone would have expected.
With his experience, Leach was the one England spinner I thought could control his bowling in the heat of battle, when the pressure is on, and so seemed likely to be pivotal to their chances of taking 20 wickets.
