India has won 7 spins in three eras on the country's soil

Indian batsmen have a reputation for always playing good spin. It is not an easy matter to go to Indian soil and beat the Indians with spin. Hard to believe. Kiwi left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel took 11 wickets (5/103 and 6/57) to beat India by 25 runs at the Wankhede on Sunday.

After India's 3-0 defeat by New Zealand in Mumbai today, the question has arisen in the minds of many, well! Have Indians succumbed to the power of spinners like this before at home?

It is very difficult to convince the present generation. Because, many people think that India is generally less on the ground of the country. In the last 2 eras, India has lost a total of 16 Tests on the country's soil. Of these, it may seem, most of the opposition batsmen and fast bowlers; But the statistics showed that it is not. India's record of conceding defeat to spin is not low at all.

There have been at least 7 instances in history, over the last 3 eras (since 1986), of how many Tests on Indian soil the opposition spinners have turned the baton against the Indians and India have succumbed to the spin of those spinners. Coincidentally, both the Tests are in Bangalore. The first was with Pakistan in 1986. And the other was against South Africa in 2000.

In one of the most memorable matches in the history of Test cricket in 1986 under the leadership of Imran Khan, the Pakistanis managed a memorable 16-run victory despite Sunil Gavaskar's career-best batting performance (96 on a turning pitch). 2 spinners Iqbal Kashim (5/48 and 4/73) and Tausif Ahmed (5/54 and 4/85) in the low scoring match (178 runs per innings average for 2 teams). Left-hander Iqbal Qasim and offspinner Tausif both got 9 wickets each.

The next instance of Indians being bowled by opposition spinners on home soil in Test cricket was in 2000. South African left-arm spinner Nicky Bowe's 7 wickets in one match (2/10 and 5/83) pushed India to defeat.

India lost the 2-match Test series to South Africa 2-0. India lost the Mumbai Test by 4 wickets mainly due to the bowling of Protea pacers Allan Donald (4), Sean Pollock (6), Hansie Cronje (5) and Jacques Kallis (3); But in the second test in Bangalore. Left-arm spinner Nicky Boyer was instrumental in Africa's innings and 71-run victory.

Proteas left-arm spinner Nicky Bowe put India on the verge of an innings defeat with 5/83 in the second innings.

A century later, India lost to another left-arm spinner in Mumbai in November 2012. He is Monty Panesar. Indian origin left-arm spinner Monte Panesar's career-best bowling (11 wickets for 210 runs (5/129 and 6/81)) pushed the Indians into the abyss of defeat.

Then in 2017, an Australian left-arm spinner single-handedly defeated India in a Test. The name is Steve O'Keefe. Taking 5 wickets in both innings, the left-hander's match figures (6/35 and 6/35) were 12 wickets for 70 runs. Steven Smith's Australia beat India by a huge margin of 333 runs in Pune in the face of his spin.

In March 2023 at Indore, the Indian batsmen were caught out by the spin of Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon (3/35 and 8/64). Nathan Lyon became the hero to beat India by 9 wickets by taking 11 wickets for 99 runs alone.

And this year means in January 2024, India caught English left-arm spinner Tom Hartley's spin (2/131 and 7/62). In that Test held in Hyderabad, the English won by 28 runs. Whose character is Tom Hartley. And today on November 3, Kiwi left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel subdued the Indians with spin magic. It is noteworthy that out of these 7 times, left-arm spinners are more.

ARB/IHS