Ravichandran Ashwin has delivered a blunt assessment of India’s batting after their 0–2 whitewash against South Africa, stating that the team has become “one of the poorest spin-playing nations.” The former India off-spinner criticised the batters for their repeated failures against spin throughout the series, particularly in the second Test where Simon Harmer dismantled the lineup to set up a massive 408-run win for the visitors.
Ravichandran Ashwin questions technique, calls batting ‘pathetic’
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin did not hold back as he dissected India’s shortcomings. He called the batting performance “pathetic” and highlighted a glaring lack of intent and technique, especially the near-total absence of the sweep shot.
He pointed to New Zealand’s approach against spin, defending one ball and sweeping the next, emphasising that their success stems from consistent practice. Ashwin questioned why Indian batters, who grew up on turning tracks, showed such poor defence against Harmer.
“How many of our batters showed good defence against Harmer? If your defence has flaws, you start playing shots. We often excuse big hitting as ‘their game’. No bhaisaab, you must defend. All great players build their game on solid defence. Good batsmanship is mixing intent with defence positively defending,” Ashwin said.
He added that India’s inability to address their defensive technique against spin has become their biggest problem. The struggles were evident across the lineup, from the experienced KL Rahul to captain Rishabh Pant, as India lost 25 of their 40 wickets in the series to spin. Harmer alone accounted for 17 dismissals across the two Tests.
