SUMMARY
Ravichandran Ashwin’s retirement has left a massive hole in the Indian Test squad. Although not immediately but the Indian team will surely be in search of a quality spinner the next time it plays a Test on the home spoil. There are several young spinners who have been performing consistently in the domestic circuit and have been earmarked as India’s next spinners. While it is next to impossible to fill R Ashwin’s massive shoes, these spinners surely possess the quality to trouble the opposition batsmen and make a permanent spot in the Indian Test team.
1 / 7Ravichandran Ashwin’s sudden retirement from international cricket has left a massive hole in the Indian Test squad. The veteran off-spinner has signed off with 537 Test wickets, the second highest for India in the format. Although not immediately but India will be in search of a young spinner when India will gear up to play Tests on the home soil next time around. It won’t be easy to replace Ashwin considering his contribution with the ball and the bat, but there are several spinners who have been impressing at international level and domestic circuit and can claim the spot left by Ashwin. Here we look at six such spinners and their performance in recent times. (Image: AP)
2 / 7Washington Sundar | Washington Sundar in all likely hood will succeed Ravichandran Ashwin in India’s Test squad. Sundar, like Ashwin, also hails from Chennai. The 25-year-old has been on the selectors radar for sometime. He is currently the part of the Indian Test squad in Australia and played the first Test of the five-match series in Perth before getting relegated to bench for the next two Tests. With Ashwin gone, Sundar will surely get more chances in the near future. Sundar too bowls off-break and bats left-handed. He is primarily a bowling all-rounder. He has played 7 Test and picked 24 wickets and scored 387 runs. Sundar was also the part of the Indian teat that registered a famous win at the Gabba during its 2020-21 tour of Australia. (Image: AP)
3 / 7Ravi Bishnoi | Ravi Bishnoi is a regular for India in T20 format. Last year, the leg spinner became the no.1 ranked T20 bowler in the world. The 24-year-old from Jodhpur, Rajasthan is a regular in the IPL and has played 66 games in the league and picked 63 wickets. In an interview given to Sportstar earlier this year, Bishnoi said that he wants to play red-ball cricket. Bishnoi has played 7 First Class matches and picked 21 wickets. Bishnoi could be a viable option for India if they wish to play a leg spinner. (Image: AP)
4 / 7R Sai Kishore | Another man from Chennai who could step up and take a spot in the Indian Test squad is R Sai Kishore. The 28-year-old is a slow left arm orthodox bowler and is a regular for Tamil Nadu is Ranji Trophy matches. He has already played 43 First Class games and picked 176 wickets. The 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season was a memorable one for Kishore as he picked 53 wickets in 9 matches and was the season’s highest-wicket taker. An injury hampered Kishore’s full-fledged participation in IPL 2024. But there are signs that Kishore is ready to step up and claim his spot in the Indian Test squad. (Image: PTI)
5 / 7Kumar Kartikeya | Kumar Kartikeya is a versatile bowler as he has ability to bowl off-spin and leg spin with equal measure. While his exploits in the Mumbai Indians’ iconic blue jersey might not have been that noteworthy (10 wickets in 12 matches), the bowler has been a consistent performer for Madhya Pradesh in Ranji Trophy. Before the 2024-25 season of Ranji Trophy, Kartikeya picked over 30 wickets for three straight seasons. His wicket-tally in the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 Ranji Trophy seasons have been 32, 33 and 41 respectively. In 37 First Class games the spinner has raced to 164 wickets. He can surely be looked into if need be. (Image: IPL)
6 / 7Hrithik Shokeen | Another spinner who has got the chance to play for Mumbai Indians and if things fall in place could also wear the Indian jersey in the future is Hrithik Shokeen. The 24-year-old is an off-spinner has learnt his craft from Maninder Singh. Shokeen has played 13 matches and picked 36 wickets. Shokeen is also a handy batsman and has notched two-half centuries at the First Class level. (Image: IPL)
7 / 7Manav Sunthar | Manav Sunthar is just 22 and the youngest entry on this list. Sunthar bowls left-arm off spin. An article of the Rajasthan-born spinner published on ESPNCRICINFO rates him “fairly high on the ladder of India’s next-in-line spinners.” Sunthar is a big fan of Ravichandran Ashwin and considers the veteran spinner as “the perfect idol”. In 21 First Class games Sunthar has picked 86 wickets including four five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls. Because of his good show in the domestic circuit Sunthar got the chance to become a net bowler for Gujarat Titans, although he has managed to play just one IPL game thus far. (Image: Mavan Sunthar)
