Have India forgotten how to play spin? SA defeat exposes vulnerability in home conditions

India's spin woes decoded [Source:; AFP Photo]

The inevitable happened as South Africa crawled back in the Eden Gardens Test match to defeat India by 30 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series. For the majority of the contest, India looked in control, but some inspired bowling by Simon Harmer in both the innings led to a famous Proteas win in the first Test match.

Last year, against New Zealand at home, India’s spin woes were brutally exposed as the once invincible at home, the Indian team crumbled under pressure and lost the series, 0-3. After the first Test defeat, it looks like India are once again heading towards the same direction, and the only way to change it is to tackle the spin problems.

India's declining returns vs spin since 2020

India batters will be the first to admit that their spin game has regressed over the years, and since the turn of the decade, the average percentage of runs has gone down and the batters have looked vulnerable at home against every opponent.

(Indian batters Test numbers at home)

• The numbers tell the entire story of how the batting numbers have declined since the start of the decade. If we look at the stats, then before 2020, the batters enjoyed outings in Indian conditions, as they averaged 53.3.
• It took an average of 85.4 balls for the opponent to dismiss the Indian batters, and the batting strike rate was considerably higher. However, that all crashed down after 2019.
• Since the turn of the decade, the spin game has worsened as the average comes down to 33.8, and the average balls per wicket has also reduced to 56.2, meaning that now the bowlers take fewer deliveries to get rid of Indian batters.
• There is not much difference in terms of strike rate, but the numbers showcase the vulnerability the batters have had in the last five years, and that too at home conditions.

Why Indian batters have struggled at home conditions?

• The pressure of WTC: The World Test Championship was introduced by the ICC, and the pressure of reaching the finale every time has put Indian Test cricket under immense pressure. With India expected to reach the finals in every edition, the team tries to curate a spin-friendly deck at home to get an easy win, but that backfires as the Indian batters, too, struggle on such wickets.
• Every WTC win gets you a point, and teams tend to maximise the home advantage as they prepare wickets that suit their style of play, and while the Indian spinners enjoy the outing and conditions, the same cannot be said about the Indian batters.
• Not enough practice against spin: Over the years, the Indian batters have focused more on improving their game against pace bowling, as they only get to face pacers when touring abroad. However, this has led to their spin game getting regressed.
• Players generally don’t practice enough, and the skill set has diminished. The likes of Mitch Santner, last year, and Simon Harmer in the Kolkata Test took advantage of it as India are yet to taste success against quality opponents in the last 1 year at home.

Conclusion

While the Indian spinners have enjoyed the conditions given to them at home, the batters have found it difficult to cope with the change. The pressure of winning every WTC match has forced India to create rank-turners, and while their batters struggle to win matches on such wickets, the visiting spinners get to enjoy the outing.

For India to start winning games at home, the team needs to understand the art of spin once again before it gets too late.

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