Former South Africa batting legend AB de Villiers has supported the Indian batters, who have found it difficult to counter the spinners of opposition teams at home. First, New Zealand spinners outclassed Indian batters in 2024, leading to the Kiwis winning their first-ever Test series against India.
And now, South Africa spinners, Simon Harmer in particular, troubled the Indian batters as the Proteas won their first Test series in India since 2000.
The Indian batting lineup has come under fire for its incapacity to deal with good spinners after yet another humbling defeat at home. De Villiers, however, thinks the hosts have several gifted players, so they shouldn't be too concerned.
“I know it's painful now, but when I look at the setup of Indian cricket in all formats, I don't think there's much to worry about. They might have to find their identity a little bit, because there have been a lot of changes of late. I expect to see that kind of fight on the field. I don't think there's any need for panic. They’ve got lots of talent, plenty of options, and different combinations they can use moving forward,” said De Villiers on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
He added that after the disastrous Test series, the forthcoming ODI and T20I series will be revitalizing for the hosts.
“It will be refreshing for them to go into the ODI and T20I series now, as I think things will be a lot harder for South Africa there, but there’s no need to panic yet. Obviously, this will hurt for a while—and so it should—but it doesn't mean it's the end of the road. There's plenty of talent in Indian cricket,” he added.
“I don't think it's technical. Indian players have always been the best players against spin. I don't think that all of a sudden, they have to reverse sweep or sweep to prove they are still the best. You don't have to change much. It's more about belief and a bit of self-confidence. I think it's a mental approach more than anything else,” he added.
This was the first Test series at home where Indian batters didn’t register a single century, with Washington Sundar being the highest run-scorer with 124 runs from four innings. Only Ravindra Jadeja and Yashasvi Jaiswal managed half-centuries for the hosts.
India will not play a Test match for the next eight to nine months and is scheduled to tour Sri Lanka next year. India is placed at fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC 2027) points table after a series defeat against South Africa and will need to do well to make it into the WTC final.
