Doull also said current Indian batters are far behind Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman against spin.
Former New Zealand pacer and commentator Simon Doull was not really impressed with the performance of India’s stand-in skipper and veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane in the ongoing first Test of the two-match Test series against the Kiwis at Green Park in Kanpur.
Rahane could manage only 35 and 4 in both innings for Team India in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur. However, the Indian team managed to post a stiff 284-run target for New Zealand in the ongoing Test, thanks to stunning efforts from Shreyas Iyer (105, 65) and Wriddhiman Saha (61*).
Doull said on Star Sports during the lunch break on Day 4: “He’s a better player than that. His dismissals against spin since 2019, you look at those, outside the line of off-stump, a lot of full deliveries. So, he’s getting lbw with the one that’s skidding on, he’s nicked off, or he’s chipping one to cover mid-off, and those areas. So, those are the dismissals against spin he would be worried about.”
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Analyzing India's batting show in their home conditions against New Zealand, the commentator mentioned that the current batters are far behind the greats like Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, and Gautam Gambhir, who were just amazing against spin.
He added, “Normally you’d think Indian players, Indian conditions, better players of spin. I don’t think by any stretch the current crop of Indian players is anywhere near the quality of players of spin of years gone by. The Laxmans, the Dravids, the Sachins, and Gautam Gambhir. Players like that who were just brilliant players of spin. I don’t think the current crop is as good.”
Doull also questioned if lack of domestic cricket was one of the possible reasons behind the current batter's performance in Test cricket.
He concluded, “Now, is that because the current crop of spinners doesn’t play domestic cricket – the top quality ones, the Jadejas, the Ashwins, the Axar Patels – so the batters are not facing top-quality spin? Or are the batsmen not playing enough domestic cricket to face top quality spin?”