The 0-3 embarrassment to New Zealand before conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under and Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement leave India with a big task of dominating their opponents with spin in home Tests.
And to gradually regain that invincibility at home banking on spin, India need conventional spinners who focus on turning the ball, believes former India left-arm spinner Dilip Doshi.
“I think aspiring spinners should be really encouraged by the change of events. And I hope that youngsters who spin the ball come up at the forefront. I am repeating, spinners who actually spin the ball... Any young spinner who actually spins the ball should be encouraged,” Doshi, in the city as one of the speakers at the Sister Nivedita University presents and Jac Olivol co-presents Calcutta Club The Telegraph National Debate 2025 on Saturday, told The Telegraph.
“I would also say that the Indian bowlers were also responsible for the series loss to New Zealand. Because on turning pitches, they could not make the most of it as the New Zealand bowlers did,” Doshi pointed out.
The 77-year-old, also a former Saurashtra and Bengal cricketer, believes spinners’ quality should be gauged by their performances in first-class cricket, not just in T20s. Mastering the stock ball is key for a spinner to succeed at the highest level, Doshi emphasised.
“Well, I want to see how these guys, who are successful spinners in T20, fare in first-class or domestic cricket. That’s the key. See, it’s much easier to bowl four overs than to even bowl 10 overs. And in Test cricket, you have to bowl 20, 30, 40 or even 50 overs.
“So, you need a stock ball. For any spinner to be successful at the highest level, he has to master the stock ball,” Doshi, who represented India in 33 Tests and 15 ODIs with 114 and 22 wickets, respectively, explained.
With Ashwin no longer available, Ravindra Jadeja’s recent form in Tests too hasn’t been inspiring. Not even on the turning tracks in Pune and Mumbai against the Black Caps. Doshi, though, still backs the left-arm spinner-all-rounder to regain his rhythm with the ball.
“Look, I wouldn’t say that Jadeja’s days are numbered. It would be wrong to say so. In the last match (the first ODI against England in Nagpur), he bowled very well (3/26 in nine overs). And it’s up to Jadeja himself to find his best bowling form because he is essentially a bowler who bats usefully,” Doshi said.
However, Jadeja is already 36 and it wouldn’t be wrong to say he’s in the twilight of his career. In the circumstances, Axar Patel happens to be India’s most experienced spinner next to Jadeja with 14 Test appearances, while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has played 13 so far.
Doshi, though, doesn’t quite see Axar, viewed as Jadeja’s like-for-like replacement, as India’s leading spinner. “I would say that it’s highly unlikely Axar would be the leading spinner, but he would be one of the very important cricketers in the Indian team.
“He could be a batsman who bowls very well or a bowler who can bat well. It can only come from him,” Doshi stated, adding: “You have to understand that Indian cricket has enough potential to find good spinners, but you have to pick them from the grassroots and encourage them to play first-class cricket.
“The more you play first-class cricket, the more you can bowl 20, 30 or 40 overs in an innings and the more adaptive you become at a higher level. T20 is never the answer for finding the right players.
“I would like to see all these bowlers bowl plenty of overs in first-class cricket and sharpen their skills. Everybody needs to play domestic cricket because there are many good domestic players to test your temperament.”