Virender Sehwag exposes Indian cricket as a laughing stock in front of the world
Published - 06 Sep 2024, 11:50 AM | Updated - 06 Sep 2024, 11:42 PM
Former India opener Virender Sehwag revealed the reason behind the national cricket team batters' struggles against spin bowling in recent times.
Virender Sehwag said that in his generation, batters Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Sourav Ganguly used to dominate spin bowlers.
India's struggles against spin bowling were evident during the recent three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
India failed to secure a single victory on the challenging tracks in Colombo. It is worth mentioning that it was former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir's first series as head coach in ODIs.
India lost the ODI series 0-2 to Sri Lanka. The first match ended in a tie as India failed to chase the 231-run target. India was bowled out for 208 while chasing 241 in the second ODI. India was bundled out for 128 while chasing 249 in the third ODI. Sri Lanka was without key players in the series.
The Less Spinners Will Come - Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag, who is known for his ability to dominate spin bowlers, shared his views on India's recent struggles against spin. Sehwag stated that the team has a shortage of quality spinners. He added that Indian players play less domestic cricket, where they could improve their skills.
"One reason for this is that the more white-ball cricket there is, the fewer spinners will come, because in T20 cricket you bowl 24 balls and do not flight them, so you do not develop the skill to get the batsman out. I think that could be one reason," Sehwag told Amar Ujwala.
"Indian players also play less domestic cricket. In domestic cricket, you get to play more spin than in international cricket. So that can also be a reason. I think there are no quality spinners in India right now whom I see who can fly well and take wickets," he added.
All Of Us Used To Play Domestic Cricket Too - Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag said that the previous generation of Indian cricketers, including himself, were better at handling spin bowling. Sehwag explained that they used to play domestic cricket, where they faced spin bowlers.
"In our time, Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly, Laxman, Yuvraj, all of us used to play domestic cricket too, whether it was ODI or four-day cricket, we used to play a lot of domestic cricket," Sehwag added.
"We used to play a lot of spinners in those matches, but in today's busy schedule, players are getting less time. There are different leagues, due to which the skill of playing spin is not being developed by the players."
The BCCI recently made it mandatory for Indian cricketers to participate in domestic cricket. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan's central contracts were terminated after failing to participate in domestic cricket. Indian players are currently playing in the Duleep Trophy ahead of the Bangladesh series.
Team India will take on Bangladesh in the two-match Test series at home. The first Test match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, starting on September 19.
