The Test series between India and West Indies has brought an interesting twist to the traditional Indian home pitches. West Indies’ left-arm spinner, Jomel Warrican, openly shared his surprise regarding the pitches in Ahmedabad and the current venue. He noted that these weren’t the ‘rank turners’ typically anticipated, which have historically led to rapid match finishes and often turned India’s home Tests into a high-stakes gamble.
However, for India’s own spin attack, these conditions were entirely expected. Ravindra Jadeja revealed after Saturday’s play that the team deliberately chose not to request the extremely dry, crumbling pitches that can make batting an almost impossible task, result in early conclusions, and, ironically, give even opposition spinners a significant edge.
Warrican’s astonishment was understandable. He recalled previous series, such as those against England and New Zealand, where the ball spun dramatically from the first day. “That was our expectation, but clearly, that’s not the case. In fact, Days One and Two seemed good for batting,” Warrican observed, highlighting a distinct departure from recent trends.
The West Indies team cannot be blamed for misjudging the conditions. Over the past two years, India’s impressive home record has faced occasional setbacks on overly responsive pitches. Instances like the first Test loss against the Kiwis in Bengaluru, where India collapsed to pacers, and subsequent losses within three days, or defeats against England in Hyderabad and Australia in Indore, demonstrated that extreme turning pitches could sometimes backfire, making their own batters vulnerable or empowering opposition spinners like Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Joe Root, Tom Hartley, Nathan Lyon, and Matthew Kuhnemann.
Jadeja’s comments clarify this shift in strategy: “I’m not surprised because we’ve only asked for slow turners. We didn’t ask for rank turners.”
The consequence of this approach, as Jadeja pointed out, is that the Indian spinners must now work considerably harder to take wickets. “As we saw today, the bounce is low and there isn’t much turn on offer off the surface,” he elaborated. “We’ve to use our shoulders a lot. Less pace makes it easy to adjust to the length or go on the back foot and work the ball. We now have to be a bit quicker in the air. Not every ball is turning. We’ve to work really hard for our wickets.”
This calculated tactical decision by India suggests a new era for home Test cricket, moving towards more balanced contests that demand superior skill and persistent effort from all bowlers, especially their potent spin department.
