NEW DELHI: Team India’s criticism refuses to take a backseat after suffering defeat against New Zealand in the second Test – their first ever Test series loss at home since 2012.
Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner exploited the Indian batters’ vulnerabilities on a turning Pune track, taking 13 wickets in the match to hand the hosts a 113-run defeat.
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has weighed in on India’s defeat, suggesting that the belief that Indian players are great players of spin is merely a perception.
“When you go to India, Indian players are the best players of spin, it is perceived to be, doesn’t always mean that it is a fact that all the batters are the best players of spin in the world. When you get a turning wicket and you get a good bowler, no matter how good of a player you are, you will be under pressure. If the batter has got the mind and skill and the ability, you can score runs in any conditions in the world,” ABD said on his YouTube channel.
“There is nothing wrong with the Indian players, they are incredible players, all of them and they can play spin. But I think a lot of teams have caught up and that perception of when you go to India, those times are gone. The 90s and early 200s are gone, when you are just a walking wicket in certain conditions. Look at Virat Kohli, he has scored 100s in South Africa as well,” he added.
De Villiers reckoned that by preparing turning tracks, India invited big risk, which was further compounded when facing a street-smart team like New Zealand.
“Well, they lost the toss in the second Test. I think they took a big risk by really making sure that the wicket turns a lot from start to finish. With that, when you play against a street-smart team, guys like Glenn Phillips, no one thought of him as a spinner, but fiery spin right at the wickets quick, doesn’t matter if you are a part-time spinner, you are in the match. Especially when you have batted first and got the runs, the pressure is on the team batting second. That is a risk that India took by making a dry wicket and they wanted to play New Zealand on their terms,” said de Villiers.
“But the problem with that is when you lose the toss and the opposition gets a good enough total, you are always under pressure. On this occasion, I felt New Zealand had all the answers, in the bowling department especially. They had answers to all questions, even the seam bowlers played their role,” he added.