Former Indian spin legend Harbhajan Singh has issued a stark warning about the health of the country's Test cricket, pointing to a critical shortage of quality spin bowlers and counterproductive pitch preparation. His assessment comes in the wake of India's 2-0 Test series defeat to South Africa, a loss he believes exposed deep-rooted structural flaws.
The Missing Off-Spinner
In a candid conversation with PTI on Friday, Harbhajan did not mince words when addressing the team's spin resources. He asserted that the current setup lacks a specialist right-arm off-spinner suited for the rigors of the longest format. "Looks like India does not have a specialist right-arm off-spinner for Test cricket," Harbhajan stated, highlighting how the South African batters dominated the Indian spin attack.
He identified all-rounder Washington Sundar as the closest available option but emphasized that the young bowler needs a significant increase in his workload to develop into a reliable Test match weapon. "I think Washington Sundar is there, but we will have to bowl him more. He will have to be bowled for 30-35 overs in a Test match to make a bowler out of him," Harbhajan explained.
The Pitch Problem: A Decade of Stagnation
Harbhajan launched a fierce critique against India's long-standing habit of preparing excessively dry and turning tracks for home matches. He argued that these surfaces are stunting the growth of both batters and bowlers. According to him, on such pitches, where every ball spins, there is no real challenge or learning opportunity for a bowler to hone their skills.
"The kind of pitches we have been playing on, there is no requirement of making a bowler out of anyone," he said. "A bowler can only be considered good when he takes wickets on good pitches." He lamented that India's red-ball cricket has been "stuck at one place" for over ten years and called for an immediate shift in philosophy. "We should play on good cricket pitches — it is high time," he insisted.
A Plea to Save Test Cricket
The former off-spinner was particularly scathing about the pitch used at Eden Gardens for the first Test against South Africa, a match that ended inside three days. The surface prompted him to post "#RIPTESTCRICKET" on social media, a sentiment he elaborated on. "We keep on talking about saving and promoting Test cricket, but this is not the way to save Test cricket," Harbhajan declared.
He firmly believes that quality pitches are non-negotiable for the survival of the format. Such surfaces, he argued, allow for a fair contest between bat and ball, enabling every player to contribute meaningfully. "If you want to save Test cricket then we need to start playing on good tracks, which allow your bowlers and batters and everyone to be in the game," he concluded, urging the Indian think-tank to look in the mirror and move away from lottery-like surfaces that undermine skill.
