'Rank turners could backfire': Rohit Sharma-led India served brutal reminder as ex-IND spinner identifies major flaw
Amid all the talk about how Indian spinners can threaten the Aussie line-up, a former India cricketer has served Rohit Sharma and Co. a brutal reminder in highlighting their major flaw.
One of the biggest talking point ahead of the start of the Border-Gavaskar Test series pertains to the kind of pitch that Nagpur will serve for the two teams. Australia have opted to skip tour matches to hold their own training camp in Alur on doctored conditions while players like Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja have come out to take a jibe at India for the "irrelevant" practice pitches that have bee offered to touring teams in India. Videos of their training sessions have also gone viral where they were seen playing against 'duplicate' Ashwin on worn out pitches. Amid all the talk about how Indian spinners can threaten the Aussie line-up, a former India cricketer has served Rohit Sharma and Co. a brutal reminder in highlighting their major flaw.
India were once the masters of playing the spinners, but over the last couple of years, their numbers against the variety has taken a nosedive. They have in fact looked more comfortable against pace and steep bounce than against the turning balls. The only notable innings by an Indian batter on spinning conditions over the last couple of years has been that of captain Rohit, who had scored 161 against England in Chennai, where the other top order batters had struggled.
Speaking to PTI, former India spinner Murali Kartik hence reminded that the team management would rather not opt for rank tuners given India's struggle against spin.
"Playing spinners on flat deck isn't the problem. We must admit that our batters have struggled against quality spin bowling on tracks that have offered turn. I don't know what kind of tracks will be in the offing but rank turners could backfire," he said.
India's most recent struggle in conditions aiding spinners was against Bangladesh, whose attack comprised Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam. The trio had picked 16 wickets at 21.31 to trouble India in the first Test before Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer had pulled of a heist to save the visitors in Mirpur.
