Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has explained why India's batting lineup struggles against spin bowling in turning conditions. He pointed out that the team has become one of the weakest spin-playing nations despite being traditionally strong in these situations. The issue stems from changes in domestic cricket preparation. Neutral curators now control First-Class pitches to prevent poor quality surfaces, but this has unintentionally created pace-friendly conditions. While this approach has improved India's ability to face fast bowlers abroad, it has severely weakened their skills against spin. The problem became evident during the recent two-match Test series against South Africa, where spin bowling claimed 25 Indian wickets. South Africa secured their first Test series victory in India after 25 years, with Simon Harmer taking 17 wickets at an average of 8.94.
Domestic Cricket Changes Weakened Spin-Batting Skills
Ashwin identified the root cause of India's declining ability to play spin bowling in his YouTube channel discussion. The introduction of neutral curators in First-Class cricket aimed to eliminate substandard pitches but inadvertently produced pace-friendly surfaces. This shift helped Indian batters develop skills against quality fast bowling, improving overseas performance. However, it came at a cost—players lost their traditional strength of playing spin on gripping surfaces. Ashwin emphasized that South Africa defeated India through attritional Test cricket, scoring around 80 runs per session and building 500-plus totals. Unlike New Zealand's aggressive approach, the Proteas relied on solid defence, quality bowling pressure, smart field placements, and long spinner spells to dominate.
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