Can India’s next rank of spinners step up in Tests?

With Jadeja out though, India have had to add uncapped left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and off-spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar to the mix. Which is an appropriate reason for us to gaze into the near future and dissect whether the next rank of spinners has the tools to succeed in the five-day game. With Ashwin and Jadeja leading the charge, it's pertinent to note that the depth in India's spin department has largely gone unexamined in recent years. While Axar, Kuldeep, Shahbaz Nadeem and Jayant Yadav have featured predominantly in Tests at home, they have had to play no more than supporting roles.

Washington has played four Tests for India, and while he did little wrong before injury came in the way, it was his batting that made more of an impression than his off-breaks. In his last Test innings, against England in Ahmedabad three years ago, he scored an unbeaten 96. Washington’s approach as a spinner has been shaped by the shorter formats, where darting the ball in takes precedence over classical virtues like flight and drift. He certainly makes for a reliable all-round package with 1,702 runs and 55 wickets in 26 first-class games, but fitting the bill as a genuine off-spinner in Tests is a different matter altogether.

Ashwin, who’s four shy of 500 Test wickets, is a hard act to follow of course. But it should be a tad concerning that no young off-spinner in the domestic circuit is staking a serious claim in the manner that Ashwin perhaps did when Harbhajan Singh was the incumbent. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, the backbone of India’s first-class structure, only one off-spinner — Madhya Pradesh’s Saransh Jain — features in the top ten wicket-takers' list. With Washington drafted into the main set-up after playing for India A in the second four-day game against England Lions in Ahmedabad, it’s Jain who has been called up for the final match of the shadow series.

That the selectors are scouring the domestic system for off-spinners is evident from the matches against England Lions. For the first game, Services’s Pulkit Narang was chosen, only to be dropped after returning figures of 24-0-124-0 and 7-0-48-1. Jain is 30 with 26 first-class games under his belt while 29-year-old Narang has played 29 matches. Rajesh Tiwari, Narang’s coach at Services, said: “He has been performing consistently for Services for the last 2-3 years,” before adding, “In India right now, there aren't too many off-spinners who are shining in first-class cricket. It is a dilemma.”

In the last five years, the only specialist off-spinner other than Ashwin to play Tests for India is Jayant Yadav. He claimed 16 scalps in six Tests, the last coming against Sri Lanka in Mohali in March 2022. At 34, Yadav, still going strong for Haryana in first-class cricket, seems to be no longer in the reckoning though.

“Everyone wants to play for India. It is at the back of my mind. That is a driving force. That still motivates me. But I am performing for my Haryana team. If it (India recall) happens, it will be very nice,” he said.

Having honed his skills primarily in first-class cricket, he highlighted the importance of that experience. “Playing first-class cricket is crucial as a spinner. The more you bowl, the more you will be aware of what kind of a bowler you are. It is a test. Your consistency will improve. Over a period of four days, you have to showcase your skill,” he said.

There’s more robust competition in the left-arm spin category. Besides Sourabh, Shams Mulani, Manav Suthar and R Sai Kishore are just a few of the many steady left-arm orthodox bowlers in the country. Sourabh’s selection is well-deserved having claimed 290 scalps in 68 first-class games. The 30-year-old has also been a regular for India A. In the last game against England Lions, he took five wickets in the second essay as India A romped to an innings victory.

"He is a bowler who gives a lot of control,” Abhimanyu Easwaran, India A captain for the series against England Lions, said. “He is very experienced. He reads the batters and pitch conditions really quickly and bowls accordingly. There’s no set pattern that he will only bowl slow or quick. He can adjust really well. The England Lions batters also play unconventionally compared to players in domestic cricket, but Sourabh showed great composure.”

Neither Sourabh nor Washington may play in Visakhapatnam, but with Ashwin touching 38 this year and Jadeja 36, it's important to start grooming the next generation of spinners for the grind of Test cricket.