Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin launched a scathing attack on the Indian batters following the 0-2 whitewash against South Africa. The hosts were no match for the might of the Proteas spinners throughout the series as Simon Harmer once again ran through the line-up in the 2nd Test to help SA clinch a 408-run win the IND vs SA 2nd Test. Ashwin minced no words in pointing out that India were currently one of the poorest spin-playing nations.
‘All great players build…’
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin dubbed India’s batting as pathetic and noted that the batters don’t attempt the sweep. He pointed out that the New Zealand batters defended one ball and swept the other, adding that they practice it and hence are good at it. Ashwin further questioned the inability of Indian batters to defend Harmer effectively. He said that India’s biggest issue is failing to address defence against spin at the moment.
“How many of our batters showed good defence against Harmer? If your defence has flaws, you start playing shots. We often excuse big hitting as ‘their game’. No bhaisaab, you must defend. All great players build their game on solid defence. Good batsmanship is mixing intent with defence — positively defending. Our biggest issue is failing to address defence against spin. We’re now one of the poorest spin-playing nations,” Ashwin said.
The series against South Africa has once again exposed the inability of the Indian batters to play spin, particularly at home. From the experienced KL Rahul to captain Rishabh Pant, every single batter struggled against the South African spinners. In fact, 25 out of 40 wickets that India lost in the two-match series were against spinners, with Simon Harmer alone picking up 17 wickets across the two games.
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