Pune: Indian batters have historically boasted a reputation for playing spin bowling better than anyone else in the world. But that perception has changed in recent years with spinners from the opposing team enjoying great success against the Indian batters.
Mitchell Santner joined the list of overseas spinners who have found joy against the Indian batters on Friday, sparking a dramatic batting collapse, picking four of the six wickets that fell in the morning session of Day 2 of the second Test.
Santner picked up a career-best haul of 7 for 53 in 19.3 overs to trigger a major collapse that saw India losing their last nine wickets for just 106 runs after looking comfortable at 50/1.
Indian batters looked at sea against the Kiwi spinners, who didn’t have to bowl extraordinarily well to trap the hosts. The Indian batters dig their own graves by showing a lack of application and poor shot selection.
Big ‘misconception’ about India’s batting busted
None of the batters showed grit and determination which used to be the biggest strength of the players from the previous era. There used to be a time when even legendary spinners like Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan struggled to take wickets. Nowadays, only a turning pitch is enough to put Indian batters under pressure.
The batting collapse prompted former Kiwi pacer Simon Doull, to bust a major “misconception” around modern India batters. The former cricketer made a scathing remark and said that contrary to the general opinion, Indian batters are as good as any other batters around the world.
“There is a perception in modern-day cricket that Indians are great batters of spin. They are not. Those days are gone. Now, they are the same as everyone else,” Simon Doull told JioCinema at Lunch.
Meanwhile, New Zealand started positively in the second innings and reached 85/2 at tea to take an overall lead of 188 runs. Latham (37 not out) and Young (23) overcame the early blow of losing Devon Conway by stitching together a 42-run stand.
