Former captain points to T20 and ODI burden

Bengaluru: India's 0-3 home Test whitewash by New Zealand more than a year-and-a-half ago still rankles, and the batters' repeated struggles against spin were compounded by a subsequent 0-2 home series loss to South Africa. With India gearing up for a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, the ability to negotiate spin will again be under scrutiny as the first Test begins in Galle on Saturday in expected spin-friendly conditions.

Former India captain and 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev, who was in the city to launch the Bengaluru Blasters team ahead of the inaugural JITO Premier League, said the problem goes beyond technique.

"India recently have not been at their best against spin bowling because they play too many T20s and One-Dayers. Test cricket is a different ball game but I hope they can put their head together and play better in Sri Lanka," Kapil said.

Call for domestic cricket and workload management

Kapil also stressed the importance of international players returning to domestic cricket.

"Playing domestic cricket is very important. The reason why Indian teams struggle against spin is that the top players don't play enough domestic cricket. That's where the BCCI should put its foot down and make everyone play three-day and four-day matches. The other aspect is that the younger generation will get to learn from top players in domestic cricket," he said.

Referring to his own 121-Test career spanning 16 years in which he never missed a Test due to injury, Kapil joked about workload in the modern era: "My mom is no more; otherwise, she could have given a few recipes."

On a serious note, the pace legend emphasised body awareness and preparation in the current calendar.

"One should know about one's own body. There is too much T20 and ODI cricket happening, so you have to be careful about the toll it takes on the body. Our body is actually not tuned to being a fast bowler. Our body is more tuned to being a batsman. The BCCI should look into how much workload to give fast bowlers," said the 67-year-old.