Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has shared his views on why India's batting lineup struggles against spin bowling in turning conditions. He pointed out that the use of neutral curators in domestic First-Class cricket has created pitches that favor pace bowlers rather than spinners. While this approach has improved Indian batters' ability to handle fast bowling overseas, it has weakened their skills against spin. Ashwin made these remarks after India's recent Test series loss to South Africa, where spin bowlers claimed 25 Indian wickets across two matches. South Africa secured their first Test series victory in India after 25 years, with spinner Simon Harmer taking 17 wickets at an average of 8.94. Ashwin praised South Africa's disciplined, attritional approach to Test cricket during the series.
Neutral Curators and India's Spin Weakness
Ashwin explained that India has become one of the poorest spin-playing nations despite its rich cricketing tradition. He attributed this decline to the introduction of neutral curators in domestic First-Class cricket. These curators were appointed to prevent extremely poor-quality pitches, but they have predominantly prepared pace-friendly surfaces. This shift has helped Indian batters improve against fast bowling in overseas conditions. However, it has simultaneously eroded their ability to handle quality spin bowling on turning tracks. Ashwin emphasized that while the intention behind using neutral curators was positive, the unintended consequence has significantly impacted India's batting skills against tweakers when conditions favor spin.
Source: Link