India’s 0-2 Test series loss to South Africa has prompted former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to make a stark observation: India is now “one of the poorest spin-playing nations.” Speaking on Ash Ki Baat, Ashwin said, “In this day and age, our batting against spin is one of the weakest in the world. First-class cricket and neutral curators have contributed to this problem.”
In Guwahati, India lost by 408 runs, giving South Africa their first Test series win in India in 25 years. Spinner Simon Harmer picked 17 wickets across two Tests, while Keshav Maharaj added six.
Ashwin explained, “First-class cricket is controlled by neutral curators to avoid bad wickets. But this has inadvertently weakened our ability against spin. While we play fast bowling better abroad, at home we struggle against quality spin.”
He also praised South Africa’s approach: disciplined, attritional Test cricket, scoring around 80 runs a session, applying consistent pressure with the ball, employing well-set fields, and letting spinners bowl long spells.