The Need for Change in India's Home Approach

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India's shocking series defeat at home against New Zealand has highlighted the need for a review of their approach at home. Despite their reputation for being invincible, the team has struggled to adapt to the changing nature of Test cricket.

Result-Oriented Pitches

The introduction of the World Test Championship (WTC) has led to teams opting for result-oriented pitches. With only 12.6% of Tests ending in draws, the pressure is on teams to deliver results. India's home pitches have inadvertently contributed to this trend, with a focus on spin-friendly surfaces that often favor the visiting team's spinners.

Visiting Spinners Outclass Indian Spinners

Since 2021, visiting spinners have averaged 32.42, compared to India's 20.20. This marked improvement in Indian spinners' average is still vastly inferior to the visiting spinners. The reasons for this are multifaceted, including the quality of spinners in visiting teams and the often-seam-friendly pitches at home.

Aiding the Visiting Team's Spinners

India's home pitches often become turner's paradise, which can aid visiting teams' spinners. As a result, the gap in quality between Indian spinners and visiting spinners is narrowed, with the latter often outclassing the former. This is evident in the fact that visiting spinners' strike rate has decreased, from 56.0 to 55.2, over the period since 2021.

The Right-Heavy Top Order's Struggle

India's right-heavy top order has struggled against left-arm spinners, who have been a scourge for India in these conditions. This has led to crippled returns from the top order, with rescue acts from the lower middle order often necessary. The think tank appears to be still figuring out how to tackle this issue.

Defensive Mindset

Indian batters often go into a shell on spiteful wickets, choosing to play for survival rather than counter-attacking. There is limited evidence to suggest that this is a consistent approach by the team, unlike England's aggressive batting strategy.

Fields Set for Indian Spinners

Indian spinners have often been poorly supported by the fields set, allowing New Zealand to rotate the strike and milk singles. This is in stark contrast to their strategy against English batters, who were more conducive to taking singles and doubles.