Bengaluru: Unlike the previous two dispensations that relied on playing four specialist pacers, especially overseas, the current one under head coach Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill has leaned on all-rounders in a bid to strengthen their batting in red-ball cricket.
A case in point is the five-Test tour to England last year where India played Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in four Tests each and also put faith in Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur – primarily because of their batting – as the fourth pacer. India did walk away with a 2-2 verdict but the defensive mentality is seemingly visible in Gambhir-Gill’s leadership, which is quite the opposite of their ultra-aggressive approach in limited-overs cricket.
Off-spinning great R Ashwin, in an interaction arranged by Sony Sports, said if India are looking at winning the two-Test series against New Zealand starting Nov 19, they have to play four frontline pacers.
“This is always a very debatable point. Very often you’re going to have your three frontline fast bowlers, and then one spinning option between (Ravindra) Jadeja and Washington (Sundar). Eventually, that’s how it needs to be,” said Ashwin.
“With Jadeja there, he’s got enough experience. And if you’re going to play Jadeja and Washington together, which makes two spinning all-rounders in the top seven, that’ll be an interesting take. Your 8, 9, 10 and 11 then have to be four genuine quick bowlers who can get you wickets.
“If you’re looking for a pace-bowling all-rounder, they have to bat in the top five. You cannot have somebody walking in at No. 8 who can maybe make runs and also maybe give you a few overs. If you’re going in with four quicks, it’s got to be four genuine quicks who can all pick a five-wicket haul on a given day.
“That should be the ideal combination, and you shouldn’t look to stretch the seam bowling with bits-and-pieces cricketers. They are sometimes okay in the white-ball formats, where they can give you combination advantages, but not in Test cricket,” averred Ashwin.
India will also be engaging in five T20Is and equal numbers of ODIs with the series starting on October 22. For many in the squad, this will be their first trip to New Zealand where some of the grounds, with their drop-in pitches and short square boundaries, pose a challenge apart from the seam-friendly conditions.
Ashwin reckoned Indian spinners will have to adjust to playing a defensive role if they wish to be successful. “Some of the pitches in New Zealand are drop-ins and some of them are natural turfs. Some of them are small grounds, for example Auckland and Hamilton, and even the T20 ground in Wellington is pretty small. So being aware of the side boundaries and changing your lines and lengths are very important. You might not necessarily be a potent attacking weapon.
“Depending on the game scenario, we should be able to bowl a little defensively, which I think on occasions the Indian spinners have failed to do. Hopefully they can adapt and also understand that defensive bowling can be critical in T20s.”
Ashwin picked Gill and K L Rahul to be the two key batters for India in the two Tests. “With respect to batters, it’s very tough to really predict who is going to have a great time. But with what’s gone by, I would really pick Rahul and Shubman, around whom this series will revolve. I think the Indian batting line-up will have to lean into their experience a lot.
“I’m not counting others out either, but with the experience, form and pedigree that KL and Shubman Gill are carrying at the moment, I’ll put my money on them to have a good series. If they do, India have a great chance.”
The Indians have barely any time to catch their breath, as they fly to New Zealand right after the West Indies series that concluded on Saturday. When asked about fatigue, Ashwin felt modern-day cricketers are accustomed it. “I don’t see it as an issue, because a lot of the T20 players don’t play ODI cricket and a lot of the ODI players don’t play Test cricket. Those times are probably gone by. Shubman Gill is probably one of those who will be there for the entirety of the series.”
India tour of New Zealand live and exclusive on Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV starting October 22, 2026.