“We are more occupied with T20s and ODIs” - Kapil Dev slams Indian batters after the whitewash to South Africa at home

Former Indian captain and analyst Kapil Dev has slammed the Indian Test batters, who failed to create an impact in the recently concluded two-match Test series against South Africa at home, as they suffered a 0-2 whitewash for the first time to South Africa since 2000.

Notably, this was India’s second consecutive Test series whitewash at home to a SENA nation after earlier losing to New Zealand by 0-3 last year. Speaking exclusively on Sportstar, Kapil Dev questioned whether India’s best batters are playing domestic cricket to know how to survive spin.

“Are India’s best batters even playing enough domestic cricket to know how to survive spin anymore?” Kapil Dev questioned on Sportstar.

“That was because they had individual style, footwork, and the fact that they played good domestic cricket on a variety of pitches. I just want to know how many of today’s top players are playing domestic cricket. That’s the most crucial thing. If you don’t play domestic cricket and don’t face quality bowlers, you are going to struggle,” he added.

“The pitches are very, very important. Not the type where the game ends in two and a half days. You lose the toss and lose the game. What is the point of having a pitch where no team crosses 200? It is not good for the state of the five-day game,” he observed.

Furthermore, the former Indian skipper also asserted that the current Indian set-up is more occupied with the limited-overs formats, adding that the Indian batters should play on surfaces that offer more help to spin and seam to improve their batting capabilities. 

“We are more occupied with T20s and ODIs, which means that batters hardly encounter bowler-friendly pitches. On surfaces offering a lot of help to spin and seam, you need patience and a different set of skills to thrive. Once you are ready to play on those pitches, your mindset affects how you tackle them. You do not have batters like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who knew how to stay at the wicket. Batting in Tests is about staying in the middle,” he concluded.

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