Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant (X) India’s dramatic 408-run batting collapse against South Africa has reopened debates about technique, pitches and white-ball overload. But Kapil Dev believes the conversation should start somewhere simpler. He wants to know if India’s top batsmen are playing enough domestic cricket to handle the spin and difficult conditions. Speaking to Sportstar, the 1983 World Cup winning captain said the previous generations were better prepared as they faced different surfaces in domestic tournaments. “They had their own style, proper footwork and experience on different pitches. I just want to know how many players today are actually playing domestic cricket. That’s the most important thing. If you don’t play domestic cricket and you don’t face quality bowlers, you will struggle,” Kapil said.
Coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar need to get things in order
India have recently lost home series against New Zealand and South Africa, frequently falling below 200. Kapil believes this pattern is worrying. He also criticized the quality of the pitches, but not too flat. “Pitches are very, very important. It’s not the type where the match is over in two-and-a-half days. You lose the toss and it’s game over. What’s the use of a pitch where no team goes past 200. It’s not good for Test cricket,” he said. Kapil warned that India’s batsmen are losing the patience needed for tough red-ball environments as T20s and ODIs dominate the calendar. “You need another skill set on pitches that help spin and connect. Once you learn to play on those surfaces, your mindset changes. You don’t have batsmen like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman who knew how to stay at the wicket. Test batting is about spending time in the middle,” he added. He said that mastering spin requires more skill than mastering pace. “You need better skills to handle the spin, but it depends on the height. If there is a sharp turn or bounce, it is very difficult. Footwork plays an important role,” Kapil said. He also used Rishabh Pant as an example of a natural aggressor who should not transform. “If your temperament is to go and hit like Pant, then it’s different. You can’t ask him to defend. He’s a match-winner. He’s not going to face 100 balls to make 20. When he hits a six, everyone celebrates. You ask him to stop hitting them. He can destroy teams,” he said. Kapil believes the solution is not to change players like Pant, but to rebuild the domestic system that once molded legends. “I was surprised India lost to New Zealand and South Africa at home, but we should have prepared better. Test cricket is different. Ask me to defend one day, it won’t work. Ask Ravi Shastri to bat all day, he will. Jimmy Amarnath and Sunil Gavaskar could have stayed in the middle all day. They had the temperament because they played a lot of domestic cricket,” he said. For Kapil, India’s spin problems are not just about spinners or opposition bowlers. It is about a generation that is no longer rooted in hard-hitting domestic cricket, where real Test technique is forged.
