"Indian batters not training enough against spin": Herschelle Gibbs

Herschelle Gibbs. Pic/AFP

After India lost the first two Tests against New Zealand at home, and thereby, the series, Kiwi speedster-turned-commentator Simon Doull remarked that modern Indian cricketers are not as good players of spin as their predecessors.

The tourists completed the whitewash in the third Test on Sunday, which further substantiated his claim. India lost 37 wickets to spin in the three-match Test series, calling for introspection on the approach against quality spin bowling.

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Former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs felt it is a problem with modern-day players across the globe and that everybody needs to train better to negate spin. He highlighted how Afghanistan beat South Africa 2-1 in the ODI series in September, where the spinners picked up 16 wickets. "Cricketers are not training enough against spin. There is a lot to work on. It is about how much the players want to test themselves at practice sessions when playing spin. It is about getting out of your comfort zone and training in challenging conditions. I have been coaching a bit, and I have observed the inability of batters to handle deliveries that turn," Gibbs said from Cape Town.

Gibbs blamed excessive T20 cricket throughout the year for the ordeal. "The guys don't have to face spin for very long in T20s. It is a lot different when you are facing spinners for longer spells on turning tracks. Very few batters can improvise when the ball is turning," added Gibbs, who was part of Hansie Cronje's South African side that beat India 2-0 in the Test tour of 1999-2000. In the opening low-scoring Test in Mumbai, Gibbs scored 47 and 46.

Meanwhile, star batsman Virat Kohli has been under the scanner for being frail against spinners in home Tests. He finished the recent three-match series with 93 runs in six innings with one fifty. Gibbs said even the best players can struggle if flaws are not addressed. "Travis Head [a part-time spinner] dismissed Heinrich Klaasen with a ball that turned in the ODI World Cup semi-final last year. It was a low-scoring game on a spinning track. And he is supposedly our best player of spin. So, when the ball turns, it is a different story."

Earlier this year, Rohit Sharma & Co lost 60 wickets to spin in the five-match Test series against England and 14 to Bangladesh in two Tests. Sri Lanka thrashed New Zealand with spin, accounting for 37 wickets in two Tests before England succumbed to Pakistan after losing 40 wickets to spin in the final two Tests.