Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh blamed the poor pitches used in Test cricket in India for the batters’ struggles against spin. Notably, India recently lost the first bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka since 1997 by 2-0. The entire batting line up crumbled against the Sri Lanka spinners with Jeffrey Vandersay, Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka starring with the ball.
Following the shocking series loss, Indian batting has come under scrutiny for their inability to play spinners effectively with several experts questioning their technique against the spinners. Harbhajan also shared his thoughts on the matter saying that the playing on the Indian pitches which turn more is the major reason behind India’s downfall. The former spinner stressed on the importance of playing on normal pitches as the bad pitches dent the batters’ confidence.
“We’ve started playing on pitches that turn a lot more. We wanted to win and we did win but we wanted to win in two and a half days. I think, if we had produced normal pitches that started to turn from Day 3 and Day 4, we still would have won but the batters would have gotten time to settle in. And we wouldn’t be discussing the problems of our batters against spinners. We dented the confidence of our batters because anybody get out (cheaply) on those pitches,” Harbhajan told Sports Tak.
Notably, Indian pitches were criticized in the series against Australia in 2023 where the first three matches ended within the first three days. Earlier, the ICC match referee Javagal Srinath gave a below average rating to the Bengaluru pitch used in the pink ball Test against Sri Lanka in 2022. However, the pitches improved significantly in the last Test series played against England earlier this year.
Further speaking ahead, Harbhajan stated that the situation can improve by playing on normal pitches in India as they have the ability to beat any team in the world on good surfaces thanks to their all round bowling attack.
“We still have a chance (to rectify this). If we pay on good pitches, I don’t think anyone can beat India. The pacers that India have, the spin attack that there is, they would definitely win you Tests on Day 5 if not on Day 3. But if you play on good pitches, the batters will score runs, and their confidence will only go up when they score runs. So I don’t think our batters have forgotten to play spin but the conditions have been such (in the last few years) that it has become almost impossible,” he added.
