Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has explained why India's batting unit struggles against spin bowling in turning conditions. He pointed out that the use of neutral curators in domestic First-Class cricket has weakened Indian batters' ability to face quality spinners. While this approach was introduced to prevent poor pitches and help players handle pace and seam bowling better, it has unintentionally reduced their skills against spin. Ashwin praised South Africa's approach during their recent two-match Test series victory, where they employed orthodox, attritional cricket rather than aggressive tactics. The Proteas scored steadily at around 80 runs per session and used disciplined bowling plans. Simon Harmer took 17 wickets at an average of 8.94 to earn Player of the Series. This marked South Africa's first Test series win in India after 25 years, with spin claiming 25 Indian wickets across both matches.
Neutral Curators Weakened India's Spin-Playing Ability
Ashwin revealed that India has become one of the poorest spin-playing nations as a batting unit in modern cricket. He attributed this decline to the introduction of neutral curators in domestic First-Class cricket. These curators were brought in to prevent extremely poor pitches, but the practice also aimed at preparing Indian players for fast and seam bowling conditions abroad. While the intention behind this decision was positive and has helped India perform better overseas, it inadvertently weakened batters' ability to handle quality spin bowling on turning tracks. Ashwin emphasized that building skills against spin requires solid defence rather than relying on sweeps and reverse-sweeps, which current Indian batters seem to lack due to limited exposure in domestic cricket.
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