India, Nov. 14 -- How much is too much? Or, in this instance, how many are too many?

We are talking, of course, about India fielding four frontline spinners in their XI for the first of two Tests against South Africa, at Kolkata's celebrated Eden Gardens.

The last time India employed four spinners in a five-day game was on Ravindra Jadeja's Test debut, against England in Nagpur in December 2012. Going into the fourth and final Test, India trailed 1-2 and believed their best chance of ending up with honours even was to unleash a four-pronged spin attack, which is how Jadeja linked up with Pragyan Ojha, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla. A dead-as-a-dodo VCA Stadium surface thwarted India's designs of forcing victory, the match petering out into...