India calculated England’s ineptitude against spin and used it to advantage: Chappell

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI): India figured out England’s general “ineptitude against spin” during the second Test in Chennai and used it to their advantage in the ‘Pink Ball’ game by unleashing a spin-heavy attack on a helpful track, says former Australia captain Ian Chappell.
Indian spin duo of Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 11 and 7 wickets respectively to bowl out England for 112 and 81 in the two innings en route their 10-wicket win in the third Test on Thursday.
This was after the 317-run triumph in the second Test in Chennai where the visitors too had found the going tough against spinners and were dismissed for 134 and 164.
“India’s decision to select three spinners for the Test was prompted by England’s batting on a tricky Chennai pitch, where their batsmen – Joe Root excepted – displayed a distinct ineptitude against spin,” Chappell wrote in a column in ‘ESPNcricinfo’. “India correctly calculated that would result in mental scarring and used it to their advantage.”
Chappell said it was poor defence which led to England’s collapse in the third Test. “When faced with a serious spin challenge, the England batsmen didn’t trust their defence, which eventually resulted in panicked attempts to attack the Indian spinners,” he wrote.
“Their choice to reverse-sweep rather than to leave their crease to change the bowler’s length is a classic example. “How can a risky premeditated shot be less dangerous than what was previously a trusted technique to unsettle good spinners?,” he questioned.