India’s spin pipeline is beginning to dry up, and there appears to be no straightforward solution.
Over the last three years, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been India’s frontline spinners across at least two formats – Tests and ODIs. While multiple tweakers have rotated through the T20I setup, the longer formats haven’t seen many new names emerge. Varun Chakaravarthy’s mystery spin earned him a place in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad, but his ODI stint lasted only four matches.
Since India’s triumph in February last year, Kuldeep has remained the only specialist spinner, while Ravindra and Axar have alternated as spin-bowling all-rounders. For India’s next ODI assignment against Afghanistan, both left-arm spinners have been rested, opening the door for Harsh Dubey. In Tests, Dubey and Manav Suthar (maiden call-up) have been drafted into the squad.
But while India continues to produce spin-bowling all-rounders in abundance, the selectors are yet to identify a reliable backup for Kuldeep, the lone left-arm wrist-spinner.
More broadly, there is a shrinking pool of traditional, specialist spinners. According to former India spinner Rajesh Chauhan, the rise of T20 cricket has played a major role in that decline.
“The problem is that today’s generation doesn’t learn cricket; it learns events — T20, One-Day or Test cricket. So, this generation is not learning bowling, but event-based bowling. If you keep focusing on the event, this problem will continue to arise,” Chauhan said.
Former India left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju echoed the concern. “Earlier, a spinner used to bowl 20-30 overs in a day. Now, they bowl just four overs and get done. They are not bowling enough and aren’t working on their basics,” said Raju, who represented India in 28 Tests and 53 ODIs.
The numbers from the Ranji Trophy underline the trend. Over the last two seasons, left-arm orthodox spinners have dominated the wickets tally among spinners: Harsh Dubey (83), Siddharth Desai (82), Mayank Mishra (75), Shams Mulani (74) and Jagadeesh Suchith (69).
The list also highlights another issue — the absence of off-spinners and wrist-spinners.
Vidharbha’s Harsh Dubey has been the leading spinner in the Ranji Trophy over the last two seasons. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Vidharbha’s Harsh Dubey has been the leading spinner in the Ranji Trophy over the last two seasons. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
Since 2021, Mulani has taken the most wickets among spinners in domestic red-ball cricket, with 200. More tellingly, among the top 10 spin-bowling wicket-takers in this period, nine are left-arm spinners, with Jalaj Saxena being the exception.
According to Raju, the decline of off-spinners coincided with batters increasingly manufacturing shots such as the switch hit and reverse sweep. “When I was with the Delhi Capitals last year, I was speaking to Faf du Plessis. He said that since the switch hit came into the game, off-spinners have started disappearing. There’s very little margin for error now, and batters are hitting switch hits for sixes.”
There is merit to that argument. In the ongoing IPL 2026 season, only nine bowlers have bowled off-spin, and just three of them – Washington Sundar, Will Jacks, and Aiden Markram – have bowled more than 30 deliveries. Sundar, India’s primary off-spin option in Tests, has bowled only 43 balls across 13 matches.
As for wrist-spinners, Raju believes modern T20 demands are forcing them away from their strengths. “If you look at wrist-spinners like Kuldeep, even he is getting hit more often now. Leg-spinners are more successful when they bowl slower. The quicker you bowl on a length nowadays, the more likely you are to get hit,” he said.
Chauhan sees the issue as one of demand and supply. According to him, T20 cricket offers instant money and success, leaving little incentive for young bowlers to master the art of spin.
“They get Rs. 1 for playing a Test match and Rs. 10 for playing a T20/IPL match. Naturally, they think about earning Rs. 10. But when you go after that Rs. 10, you start making changes in your body alignment and overall bowling quality, and then you don’t know how to switch back,” he said.
The former India off-spinner believes modern bowlers are also struggling to switch between formats effectively. “You need to make a switch in your hands and wrists according to the format you are playing. You need proper body alignment,” Chauhan explained.
Raju, meanwhile, pointed to another growing problem – youngsters trying variations before learning the basics. “Youngsters today watch a lot of T20 cricket and see spinners bowling variations. Then they immediately want to try those variations without first building their basics. They are no longer trying to loop or turn on the ball,” he said.
Both Raju and Chauhan agree that spinners today simply are not bowling enough. As a result, they are unable to sharpen their skills, develop rhythm or fully understand their craft – a trend both fear could eventually lead to the disappearance of specialist spin bowling altogether.
“When I was with the Delhi Capitals last year, I was speaking to Faf du Plessis. He said that since the switch hit came into the game, off-spinners have started disappearing. There’s very little margin for error now, and batters are hitting switch hits for sixes.”Venkatapathy Raju
“It’s a very important subject and needs much deeper thought,” Chauhan said.
According to him, the solution lies in more detailed coaching programmes. “There is so much detailing in spin bowling, from the usage of the crease to setting the fields; lessons on bowling over the wicket and around the wicket; and all these small technical aspects. But no one is teaching them.”
Chauhan suggested that alongside the Centre of Excellence (CoE) coaches, the BCCI should regularly bring in former spinners to conduct specialised week-long camps for young bowlers.
Raju believes the answer lies in State associations pushing players to participate in more multi-day cricket. “Selectors and State associations need to make sure players participate in a minimum number of multi-day matches, even if not an entire season. Spin bowling should not become a bygone skill.”
He acknowledged that T20 cricket has now become the default format, especially with the sport entering the Olympics, but stressed that Under-19 and Under-23 players must still be encouraged to prioritise multi-day cricket and ODIs.
“The more they bowl, the better they will become,” Raju said. “The importance of playing multi-day cricket has to be instilled from a young age.”
Published on May 21, 2026