Spinners are a crucial part of any team in the Test format.
Spin bowling has always been one of the most crucial dimensions for a team, especially in the subcontinent. Due to the nature of the pitches and the playing conditions, teams always bank on the quality of their spinners. Not that the contributions of a fast bowler are unrecognised. But spinners have got a lot more to offer in Test matches that are played in the subcontinent. That has been an undisputed reality in the past.
Until a few years ago, it seemed as if Test matches in Asia used to follow a template. Batting first was the norm, and the team fielding first used to be considered behind in the game. The quality of the soil resulted in the pitches depreciating quickly after the first two days. As a result, chasing a total in the fourth innings meant batting against deliveries which are turning square. At the end of it all, nothing can be taken away from the class of the spinners that thrived.
We cannot say that the template has changed. But there have been advancements. In the last three years, teams have chosen to bat first in Tests on Indian soil on 14 occasions, and have managed to win the Test seven times out of those. So there is a paradigm shift towards the stats balancing themselves, which is good for the game. But that does not take away anything from the spinners, who have been dominating on Indian soil since a long time.
Teams travelling to India for a Test series used to be aware of the Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja threat. The spin-duo played a crucial role in India’s red-ball setup for a long time. They rattled batting orders, and their artistry was on full display. Though Jadeja is still an important part of India’s Test setup, Ashwin called time on his career in the longest format. And hence, here are a few spinners who are coming up the ranks and have the potential to become India’s next generation of Test spinners.
It must be wonderful to be Harsh Dubey right now. The 23-year-old from Vidarbha had been on the receiving end of some wonderful times in the last 12 months. A fantastic Ranji Trophy season, an Indian Premier League (IPL) call-up, India A debut and a Duleep Trophy debut – all in the same year. The left-handed all-rounder is quickly making headlines for a stellar career. He will be one of the players that the selectors will have an eye on.
In the recent past, what stood out for Dubey was his resilience in adversity. Each time his team was put in a difficult situation, he managed to put his hand up and contribute. He scored two fifties in two innings in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 quarter-final against Tamil Nadu. To add to that, he was instrumental in the semi-final against Mumbai, in which he picked a five-wicket haul in the second innings. It didn’t stop there. In the Final as well, his three-wicket haul denied Kerala a first-innings lead.
In the recent Duleep Trophy fixture, Dubey showed his class once again. He walked out to bat on the third morning when the Central Zone had lost three wickets in quick succession. With them trailing by 116 runs, he produced an instrumental knock of 75. To add to that, Dubey also scalped six wickets in the multi-day game, showcasing his all-round abilities with both bat and ball.
The 26-year-old all-rounder from Mumbai has been a mainstay in the domestic setup. Kotian has played just a solitary game in the IPL for the Rajasthan Royals. He was added to the squad as a replacement last year. Kotian managed 24 runs in the match which he played, and was not included in the XI post that. Having said that, he has been a force to reckon with in Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy side for the last few years. As a result, he is named in the 15-member India A squad that will host Australia A for two multi-day matches later this month.
In 39 First-class matches, Kotian has taken 114 wickets, consisting three five-wicket hauls. His bowling action boasts of a high release point and is backed by a good sense of pace variation. This allows him to use his height and also deceive the batter in the air. On the other hand, Kotian has also piled up 2030 runs in the 38 innings, along with two big hundreds next to his name. And it doesn’t stop there. He also possesses 17 fifties and has been a force to reckon with in Mumbai’s lower-middle order.
The left-handed all-rounder has been a vital part of Rajasthan’s domestic setup. He featured in a solitary game for the Gujarat Titans (GT) back in 2024, but wasn’t able to make a mark. He conceded 26 runs and was able to score just one run in the match that he played in. But just one match cannot be a sample to judge the quality of a player. Though his IPL numbers have just one match to speak of, his domestic heroics are what have got him a place in the India A squad, which will be led by Shreyas Iyer.
Suthar has registered 95 wickets in 23 First-class games which he has been a part of. Moreover, he has seven four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls to boast of. And just as one thinks that it ends here, Suthar takes it a notch higher. The left-handed off-spinner possesses two 10-wicket hauls as well, which is a rare feat for any bowler.
Adding to that, the all-rounder from Rajasthan also ticks the batting requirements. In 23 innings, he has scored 734 runs with an average of almost 26. He also holds five half-centuries to his name. A bowler who can bat is slowly becoming the norm in the longest format, and that is where Suthar will thrive along with all others mentioned.
The spinner from Tamil Nadu has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the Ranji Trophy. Sai Kishore is six feet three in height, and utilizes it to its fullest, imparting spin on the ball. He was a net bowler for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who game him a chance in the 2020 season. Though he did not get any games that season, his consistent performances in the domestic circuit continued.
The left-arm spinner missed the cut to feature in the squad for India A, as he is nursing an injury currently. The same injury also propelled him to stay unavailable for the Buchi Babu Trophy and Duleep Trophy. The injury occurred while fielding in a first-club division game, when he tried to stop a delivery hit by Shahrukh Khan. Though the initial reports showed good signs of a quick recovery, he had to be ruled out of the two domestic tournaments.
One of his most notable performances came in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2020. He ended with figures of 4-1-11-0 in the Final of the tournament. To add to that, he ended the campaign with an economy of 4.82. He has picked up over 200 wickets in 47 First-class appearances with 13 five-wicket hauls. He will be one of the spinners to watch out for when it comes to Tests at the highest level.
The 21-year-old helped India lift the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in 2022. Post that, he was with the CSK camp for two seasons, but could not feature in a single game. However, he was signed by the Gujarat Titans for INR 30 Lakhs in IPL 2025. Though Sindhu is yet to make his debut in the coveted Indian domestic league, his performances in first-class and List A cricket speak volumes of his ability.
Sindhu has scored 1905 runs in 30 First-class appearances with six hundreds and seven half-centuries. To add to that, he has played at a healthy strike-rate of almost 65. In the same number of games, he has also managed to scalp 69 wickets at an economy of 3.25, which speaks volumes of his control with the ball. The drift that he generates behind the ball is massive and the batters are trapped in front due to the same reason.
One of the first names to be added to Mumbai’s playing XI in the recent past has been Shams Mulani. The left-arm all-rounder has produced some significant performances for his domestic side, and remains to be a vital member. In 51 First-class appearances for Mumbai, he has bagged 235 wickets at an economy of just 3.10. Batters generally aren’t very aggressive in the multi-day format, which justifies the low economy rates of the bowlers. However, the bowlers need to be credited for their consistency and accuracy.
Mulani is short in stature, and knows exactly how to use that feature in his favour. Due to his short height, Mulani is aware that he needs to pitch the ball further up in order to entice the batters to fall in the trap. Furthermore, he has played important knocks for the team on many occasions. In the 51 First-class games, Mulani has managed to score 2195 runs at an average of almost 32. This includes 19 half-centuries and a hundred.
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The opening day of the sixth round of the Ranji Trophy matches in the last edition saw some wonderful stats. One of these was Siddharth Desai, who managed to pick nine wickets in the opening session of the day. In a match against Uttarakhand in Ahmedabad, the Gujarat spin-bowling sensation ran a riot with the ball. He ran through the entire batting order and scalped nine wickets in a single session, leaving the Uttarakhand camp stunned.
He ended the innings with figures of 9/36, which went down as the best figures in first-class cricket by a Gujarat player. This was a record previously held by Jasu Patel in 1960/61. The selectors will keep a close eye on Desai, who has the potential to go on and achieve special things.
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