Sat Nov 02 07:19:03 UTC 2024: ## India’s Spin Woes Exposed as New Zealand Clinches Historic Series Win

**Pune, India:** New Zealand’s dominance against India continued on Sunday as they clinched a historic series victory, winning the third and final Test match in Pune. This series defeat marks India’s first loss on home soil in 12 years.

The Kiwis, who had already secured the series in Bengaluru with a convincing eight-wicket win, capitalized on India’s vulnerability against spin bowling in Pune. Mitchell Santner, New Zealand’s leading spinner, took a five-wicket haul in both innings, leading the charge in their 18-wicket haul for the series.

Following the defeat, former Indian selector Sunil Joshi expressed concern over the Indian top order’s struggles against spin. He criticized the lack of domestic cricket experience in the team, particularly for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill. Joshi highlighted the importance of playing domestic cricket to improve against spin, recalling that legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli themselves used to play in the Ranji Trophy before Test matches.

The criticism gained traction on social media, with a viral stat highlighting that Kohli last played in the Ranji Trophy in 2012, while Rohit’s last appearance was in 2015/16. These statistics further fueled the debate about the Indian team’s reliance on international cricket over domestic experience.

India’s struggles against spin are further reflected in their average against the bowling variety on Asian soil. Since 2021, the top-5 batsmen have averaged just 34.84 against spin, lagging behind other Asian teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Kohli’s performance against spin has been particularly concerning, averaging a mere 28.59 in this period.

As India heads into the next Test series, the team’s performance against spin will be under intense scrutiny. The need for the top order to address their weakness against spinners, possibly through a return to domestic cricket, has become a pressing issue.

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