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India begin post-Ashwin era with a few questions to answer
The series against West Indies will be India’s first at home since the ace spinner retired last December
Ahmedabad: R Ashwin liked nothing more than solving problems in the middle with the zeal of an obsessed academician. Different angles and approaches would be tried, videos would be studied, the speed would be varied, the trap would be set. And more often than not, he would get his reward.
His persistence was unique because it was ever-changing. It made him a tough opponent and one that teams learned to fear, especially when touring India. With left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja giving nothing away from the other end, Ashwin was free to take a flight of fancy.
Ever since he picked a five-wicket haul on debut in 2011, the thinking off-spinner was India’s main course in their winning formula at home. A cheat code to success, a worthy successor to Anil Kumble; he went on to pick up more home wickets (383) than Kumble (350), added 28 more home 5-fers to his tally, bested only by Mutthiah Muralitharan.
The series against the West Indies will be the first one that India will play at home since their problem-solver retired in December 2024 and it leaves Shubman Gill and the team management with a void to fill.
In Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Washington Sundar had a full-fledged bowling net two days ahead of the first Test. Ashwin’s Tamil Nadu team-mate has shown signs during his short career so far, of being cut of the same cloth - with the ball and bat.
But Ashwin asked searching questions of batters over 106 Tests and fourteen seasons. Now, to be the sole off-spinner in the playing eleven will be a stiffer challenge. At home, there will be many opportunities where the pitches will be considerably favourable but picking wickets tightening the screws on the opposition, series after series, is an art that is best mastered with practice. Against the now depleted West Indies batting line up, he will be assessed on stricter parameters.
It’s a good thing for India that Ravindra Jadeja, 36, continues to be naggingly accurate. The rest of India’s spin attack has the current World Test Championship cycle (2025-27) to sharpen their game plans with Jadeja still a force.
Even Jadeja will miss his partner-in-arms immensely. Ashwin, to Jadeja, was a real-time sounding board. Together, they wrecked havoc to batting line ups when the pitches took spin. Working in tandem, aided by the surround sound of home supporters, the heat they generated got the better of many a batting unit. No wonder India enjoyed the proud record of 18 unbeaten series wins at home before the Kiwis spoiled the party in 2024.
A key player post-Ashwin to form India’s spin trio could be Kuldeep Yadav. The Chinaman bowler was at the top of his powers in the just concluded Asia Cup. And although he was bowling only 24 balls a match in Dubai, Kuldeep showcased his resilience, brushing past the disappointment of having to warm the benches during the entire England Test tour.
Last year against England at Rajkot, when Ashwin had to leave the Test mid-way for personal reasons and Ben Duckett was at his disruptive best by making sweeping statements, it was Kuldeep who outsmarted him by bowling wider lines. He will have to do a lot more of it.
With their lead spinner gone, one would think Kuldeep would be an automatic choice. But that’s how many thought India would pick their playing elevens in England too. Head coach Gautam Gambhir is known to be a big believer in batting depth up till No 8. Till now, Kuldeep, playing primarily as a bowler, hasn’t been able to convince the team management of his match winning prowess compared to the all-rounders he competes with. India will also have the option of using Axar Patel.
Kuldeep, Axar and Washington come with nearly the same experience - 13, 14, 13 Tests. It is for Gambhir and Shubman Gill to firm up their playing template at home. If they need to stack the playing eleven with all-rounders or whether Kuldeep gets the nod, with no questions asked. All four of them can play together too, with three of them more than capable with the bat.
But the Ahmedabad pitch, two days away from play, didn’t look designed for such tactics, with some dampness, and a pattern of overcast skies at different times of the day seen in the city.
Gill hits the nets
Indian captain Shubman Gill turned up for a long batting day in the nets, straight off a flight from Dubai. He looked in visible discomfort, edging and nicking regularly against Mohammed Siraj and Nitish Reddy. He will have very little turnaround time to switch to red ball discipline. Kuldeep, Axar and Jasprit Bumrah, the other returning players from India’s winning Asia Cup campaign took a day off. Reddy took a blow to his right arm while batting and received some treatment before continuing to bat.
