Spooked by turn: Once India's strength, spin is now their kryptonite

"Spin to win" is no longer India's mantra at home. Whenever they have rolled out spin-friendly track, leave alone dust bowls, it has often been India who found themselves in trouble. This was starkly evident when New Zealand stunned India in Pune and Mumbai after initially troubling Rohit Sharma's men with pace in Bengaluru.

A 3-0 result in favor of India seemed like a foregone conclusion. Few could have imagined that New Zealand would inflict a whitewash on Indian soil.

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India's proud record of 18 successive series victories at home came to a sudden halt in one of the most sensational ways. The hunters became the hunted, as a resilient group of New Zealand cricketers outperformed their Indian counterparts in every department of the game.

One glaring deficiency was India's handling of spin. Over the past few years, it has been an open secret that India's dominance in spin-friendly conditions is fading-a reality that the Indian team management has been reluctant to fully acknowledge.

"There is a misconception that India is good at playing spin. They are like everyone else. Gone are the days of Sachin, Ganguly, or Dravid. Now, they struggle against good spinners. We saw that in the IPL; as soon as the ball started to spin, they began to falter," said former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull after the second Test in Pune.

Before examining historical data, recent numbers from the three-Test series tell a compelling story.

CAN'T PLAY SPIN ANYMORE?

While the extreme nature of the pitches is certainly a factor, India's approach with the bat was particularly alarming, especially in the recently concluded Test series.

Barring Rishabh Pant, no Indian batter scored more than 200 runs in the series, while three New Zealand batters-Rachin Ravindra (266), Will Young (244), and Devon Conway (227)-did so.

Only one Indian batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, faced more than 300 deliveries in the series, whereas three New Zealand batters managed that feat.

India's risk-laden approach was hard to understand. Outside of Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Pant, most Indian batters seemed unable to trust their defense and failed to hang in.

IND v NZ, 3rd Test in Mumbai: Highlights

India's two big guns-Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli-had a disappointing series. Rohit faced just 133 deliveries, while Kohli managed 173.

Former opener Virender Sehwag did not hold back after the 3-0 defeat, stating, "The skill to play spin certainly needs an upgrade. Some experimentation is good for shorter formats, but in Test cricket, needless experimentation is poor."

Kohli's struggles against spin have become a major concern. Rohit, who scored 500 runs against England in a five-Test series earlier this year, managed just 91 runs across three Tests against New Zealand.

The famed lower-middle order also failed to contribute. India missed Axar Patel with the bat; he averages over 35 while batting at No. 6, 7, 8, and 9 in Tests.

GONE IN MINUTES: INDIA'S COLLAPSES

- Pune, 1st innings: 53 for 6

- Pune, 2nd innings: 50 for 5

- Mumbai, 1st innings: 83 for 6

- Mumbai, 2nd innings: 16 for 5

Take Virat Kohli's case, for example.

His struggles against spin since 2020 are clear; his average in India has plummeted from 72.45 (2013-2019) to 32.86, with 24 of his 57 dismissals during this period coming against spin. Kohli's performance against left-arm spin is particularly alarming, averaging just 20.41 against this type of bowler, with 12 dismissals out of 58 since 2020. In the recent home season alone, he was out four times to left-arm spinners, including once each to Shakib Al Hasan and Ajaz Patel, and twice to Mitchell Santner.

On the other hand, Rohit Sharma paid the price for being overly aggressive. Despite trusting his defense against England earlier this year, he tried to hit his way out of trouble. In five of the six innings he played in the series, Rohit was dismissed by pacers, throwing his wicket away well before spin came into play.

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India averaged just 24.4 against spin while losing 37 wickets to New Zealand, a stark decline compared to their average of 39.9 against England spinners earlier this year.

Many voices on social media suggested that India missed Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, but there is little evidence to support this claim. The Indian top order has struggled against spin in recent times.

Since the start of 2020, India's top seven has averaged 36 at home, compared to 47.12 between 2000 and 2020.

The reluctance-no longer just a lack of time-of Kohli and Rohit to refine their games against spin through domestic cricket is a significant concern.

TRAPPED IN THE SPIN WEB

It's not just about India's declining ability to play spin; it's also about the pitches that have been offered in home Tests over the last decade.

New Zealand came to India with a spin attack that had amassed 213 wickets among five bowlers. India's R. Ashwin alone has over 500 wickets in Test cricket.

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Yet, New Zealand needed only two left-arm spinners and a part-time off-spinner who was once a wicketkeeper to achieve the remarkable 3-0 whitewash that has left many in shame.

Mitchell Santner proved to be India's kryptonite in the second Test in Pune. After being rolled over on a pace-friendly pitch in Bengaluru during the series opener, India opted for a spin in Pune-a decision that backfired spectacularly. Santner claimed 13 wickets in that Test, marking his first-ever five-wicket haul in a match, taking seven in the first innings and six in the second, leading New Zealand to a 113-run victory and a historic series win.

In the third Test, Ajaz Patel continued his impressive run in Mumbai. Three years after taking a 10-wicket match haul, he claimed 11 wickets, including a six-wicket haul that helped New Zealand defend a total of 146.

Glenn Phillips also returned home with eight wickets.

To compound India's woes, Ashwin and Jadeja had an uncharacteristically poor series. Ashwin managed only 10 wickets in the first two Tests, while Jadeja took just six. In contrast, Washington Sundar-who wasn't part of the squad for the first Test-outperformed his senior counterparts, finishing the series with 16 wickets in two matches.

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This is not a one-off occurrence.

It was Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner in Mumbai and Pune. There was Australia's Steve O'Keefe in Pune in 2017, and England's Tom Hartley in Hyderabad in 2024. Matthew Kuhnemann, Jack Leach, and Shoaib Bashir are among other rookie spinners who have enjoyed success in India in recent years.

It's hard to believe that Shane Warne averaged 43 in India across nine Tests, while Muttiah Muralitharan averaged 45 over 11 Tests. In comparison, Ajaz Patel boasts an impressive average of 22 in India.

"Turning pitches are becoming our own enemy," Harbhajan Singh tweeted after India's 0-3 defeat.

"You don't need Murali, Warne, and Saqlain (Mushtaq) on these pitches to get teams out. Anyone can get anyone out," he added, responding to a post that wondered how the generation of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly would have fared against Ajaz Patel and his peers.

"You know what? Maybe New Zealand should start preparing turning pitches at home if they need to win 3-0 even in New Zealand," joked Anil Kumble.

It hits hard, doesn't it?

Published By: Saurabh Kumar Published On: Nov 4, 2024

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