In a concerning turn of events, India’s cricketing stronghold is witnessing tremors as a familiar foe emerged to threaten what might be their first home series loss in 12 years. This unsettling prospect was prominently observed on the black-soil pitch in Pune, where New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner unleased a formidable display of left-arm spin that exposed India’s perennial struggles against this form of bowling. The cricket-crazy nation saw haunting memories revived, as the Indian team has previously faced significant challenges from left-arm spinners such as Ajaz Patel, Matthew Kuhnemann, Tom Hartley, and now Santner himself, who have previously managed to claim five-wicket hauls against them in home Tests over the past three years.
On the Pune surface, characterized by its capacity to offer some turn from a good length and pose threats with straighter lines, the left-arm spinners’ threat becomes exponentially significant. The stumps remain constantly in play, thanks to unpredictable turns, with even the straighter balls posing a looming threat. This was demonstrated vividly today as Virat Kohli entered the field with a slightly open stance aiming to counter left-arm spin directly. Before his arrival, Shubman Gill had already fallen victim to an LBW on the front foot, following an earlier narrow escape on umpire’s call. Kohli subsequently misjudged a tossed-up delivery, nearly a full toss, resulting in an unexpected bowled out, prominently emphasizing India’s predicament against left-arm spin—this marked the 10th instance over the past three years where Gill and Kohli succumbed to left-arm spin in Tests within Asia alone.
Attempting to counter this spinning threat, India strategically incorporated left-handers in their line-up, which also influenced the decision to promote Rishabh Pant to No. 5 in Test cricket. The tactic seemed fruitful initially, as batsmen like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja averaged over 75 against left-arm spin in the last three years, with KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan also providing substantial support, averaging close to 45. However, on this particular Friday, these efforts unraveled amidst a perfect storm.
Following the dismissals of Gill and Kohli, the relentless pressure saw Sarfaraz Khan loft Santner’s delivery to mid-off, while New Zealand’s strategic move to introduce Glenn Phillips’ off-spin unexpectedly worked wonders against the left-handers. Phillips’s tactics held firm, successfully catching Jaiswal at slip and later clean-bowling Pant with a quicker delivery that zipped through.
While match-up strategies are not traditionally significant in Test cricket, recent trends have seen batters openly accepting and utilizing these tactical plays with increasing frequency.
. Mitchell Santner, typically identified as a T20 specialist, acknowledged incorporating certain techniques from the shorter format, which resulted in his remarkable seven-wicket haul during this match. His dismissal strategy was diverse, varying from mid-70kph deliveries against tail-enders such as Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, to escalating to nearly 90kph whilst trapping Jadeja and Ashwin LBW, with a masterful deployment of wide angles leading to the dismissals of Kohli and Bumrah.
Santner explained his approach, “I think I tend to do that a lot in white ball cricket, changing the pace. Today we discussed that strategy. Under 90kph deliveries appeared to spin, and for some time, deliveries over the top bounced significantly. We talked about perhaps slowing down, but initially, I maintained a faster pace which adapted as the day unfolded on this pitch.” He also referred to another T20 turn-Test bowler, Washington Sundar, who also secured a seven-wicket haul. “Washy adjusted his pace from the low 90s to mid-70s effectively, confusing batsmen with the variations,” Santner mentioned.
The Indian strategy to counter the spin barrage was a mix of traditional and modern techniques. Kohli and Gill found themselves shackled in defense, struggling to rotate the strike effectively and eventually falling to their nemeses. Attempts by Sarfaraz and Pant to take an aggressive stance fell short of execution, culminating in India ceding a crucial 103-run lead in the first innings—a stark contrast to New Zealand’s reliable partnership-building in their innings.
Morne Morkel, the Indian bowling coach, acknowledged the challenging position India finds itself in, stating, “One of the reasons they’re leading the game at this juncture is evident. They’re imposing pressure with the ball and placing our bowlers under stress with proficient sweeping and reverse sweeping.”
A daunting chase in excess of 300 looms for India in the domestic fourth innings—a feat only successfully accomplished once in the annals of Indian Test history. Remedies for their glaring batting frailties appear elusive, potentially igniting introspective evaluations ahead of a rare home series defeat.