Ashwin's Absence a Massive Miss for India in Sri Lanka Tests, Says Maharoof

Ashwin's absence a massive miss for India, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Suthar can be ideal line-up, says Maharoof

New Delhi, Aug 11

In two recent marquee series at home against New Zealand in 2024 and South Africa in 2025, India were left seeing their spinners being outshined by their foreign counterparts. With conditions in Sri Lanka expected to be spin-friendly, the effectiveness of their spinners will be under intense scrutiny.

"Regarding Ashwin, I think it is going to be a massive miss. I mean, not only Ravi Ashwin, even the likes of the batters like Virat, Rohit, and with the ball, Jasprit. I think these guys are legends of the game. The records speak for themselves. The numbers are brilliant, and Ravi Ashwin, whenever he toured Sri Lanka, did well.

"It's because in Sri Lanka, all of you talk about the turn. But if you really look in deeply, it is the bounce that picks up wickets for the spinners. So, Ravi Ashwin on this side, he would have been the ideal candidate to bowl in these conditions and Washington Sundar, he is going to be a massive miss as well because if the pitch is a turner, he could extract bounce as well.

"So, he will be a (big) miss (too). Overall, Ravi Ashwin's shoes are hard to fill. The numbers speak for themselves - not just for his bowling prowess, it's also for his batting prowess too as a number six batter," Maharoof told IANS in an online interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network on Tuesday.

With Ashwin retiring in 2024, India's succession plan remains remarkably unclear. To make matters worse, Jadeja is approaching the fag end of his career. Kuldeep, despite taking 79 scalps, has managed to feature in just 18 Tests since his debut in 2017.

He remained on the bench throughout the five-match Test series against England. Meanwhile, left-arm spinner Suthar impressed on debut with a seven-wicket haul against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh in June and even fared well in the warm-up game in Colombo. Though Saransh Jain has been picked, Maharoof thinks Suthar's ability to extract bounce off the Galle pitch gives him a slight edge.

"Talking about the rest of the spinners in the Indian side, I really like how Manav Suthar made his debut against Afghanistan a few months ago and how he bowled in the warm-up game as well. I really like his pace and bounce. But the big question is: will India play Ravi Jadeja and Manav Suthar on the same side?

"So, two left-hand spinners ideally, and Saransh Jain still has not made his debut, but looks a decent bowler. It will be a lot to ask from him on debut against a quality and experienced batting line-up like Sri Lanka. But if you ask me, I will be tempted to go with the two left-hand spinners as well as Kuldeep Yadav.

"I think Kuldeep Yadav is a front-runner to start in Galle, and the records again, especially with the last Test match against Afghanistan, he picked up so many wickets. So, I see three spinners from India with Jaddu, Kuldeep Yadav, the third spinner, in Manav Suthar or Saransh Jain. Ideally, you like to see an off-spinner for a variation. But I will not be surprised if Manav Suthar plays as well simply because I feel with his ability to get bounce off the surface, it can be handy in Galle," he explained.

Addressing the challenge of bowling in Galle, Maharoof pointed out that adapting to local wind conditions will be critical for the Indian slow bowlers, while identifying Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya as the home side's main spin-bowling weapon.

"Prabath Jayasuriya is going to be the main weapon, that is for sure. We have nicknamed him the king of Galle because of the many wickets he has picked up in Galle. He knows how to bowl with the wind because the wind is going to be a major factor in Galle, more so because of the drift that the spinners can work with.

"So, that is something that the Indian spinners have to make sure of whenever they start training in Galle. I believe they are travelling today. They start training by tomorrow. How quickly the spinners adapt to the wind factor. It is going to be cross-wind in Galle. So, that is going to be massive," he noted.

Shifting focus to the Indian batting department, led by in-form skipper Shubman Gill, Maharoof singled out wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as the batter Sri Lanka would fear the most due to his ability to single-handedly turn matches. Pant is on his first Test tour of Sri Lanka, and in the practice game, he made two runs in the first innings, before curbing his flamboyant style to make 28 in the successful chase of 207.

"I reckon lots of talk about Rishabh Pant - how is he going to play? I mean, does he have to change his game plan? I think, being a former player, if I'm in the opposition or Sri Lankan dressing room, I'll be very worried about Rishabh Pant because he's a player within a matter of half an hour, or 45 minutes, he can change the game totally.

"We've seen him doing it in the past, and he has an X-factor, and he's been given that license to play the natural game. He's going to play a lot against left-arm spinner, or off-spinner. Sri Lanka, for sure, is going to go with two frontline spinners, as well as two part-timers in Sonal Dinusha and Dhananjaya de Silva. Rishabh Pant, the way he scores runs unorthodoxly, is going to be dangerous.

"So, I feel the likes of KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel are proper players who don't take much risk. They play elegantly and are very nice to watch. But for me, dangerous players can be Rishabh Pant. Devdutt Padikkal, the way he batted at number three, was so solid. I'm looking forward to watching him bat as well," he added.

Maharoof also advised India's attacking stroke-makers to stick to their natural approach while predicting that first-innings totals will prove decisive in the series. "For me, I think Rishabh Pant, Shubman Gill, and even Yashasvi Jaiswal as well, because they are free-flowing players and in the sub-continent, it's just about getting through the first 10-15 deliveries.

"Then, once you get going in this heat, the ball will not move much in the first innings. Second innings, yes, there will be turn on offer, whether you bat first, third or fourth. So, it's all about trusting your process. As I said in the beginning, we can talk a lot about various things. But you've got to trust the process, and you've got to make sure you back yourself because overnight, Yashasvi Jaiswal cannot be a Devdutt Padikkal.

"He has to play his natural game, and that's why he has made a name for himself. So, it's all about making sure how you're going to start and how you're going to finish in the first innings because first innings scores for me are going to be a massive one," he concluded.

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— IANS