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The standard of playing spin has taken a hit in recent years. The fast-paced games’ habits have seeped into the traditional Test cricket and it has led to more collapses. Tamil Nadu captain and left-arm spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore feels that there is a decline in the standard of tackling spin in domestic cricket as well. While the rate of counter-attacks have gone up, putting in time like recently-retired Cheteshwar Pujara and grinding it out is a skill missing in India's modern-day domestic cricket. Now, the risk-taking shots come naturally to players, a large shift from what was 10 years ago.
“I think the standard of playing spin without risk has come down. Counter-attacking is still there, and players are more comfortable with it than 10 years ago. Back then, batters wouldn’t counter-attack. They would grind you all day, like Pujara or others of that mould. Now, that grinding element has faded. The white-ball game has brought in more risk-taking,” Sai Kishore told Sportstar.
Kishore feels that the shift was inevitable as in the age of T20 cricket, rotating the strike is underrated. He feels that the batters view traditional shots are of less value than extravagant shots which don't feel unorthodox to them any more.
“It’s not unfortunate — it was bound to happen. When you play six months of T20 cricket, singles lose their value. They’re useful, yes, but they’re not “gold”. The real currency is fours and sixes. So, a back-foot punch or a cover drive — low-risk, traditional shots — are less valued than a reverse sweep. Naturally, players would rather switch-hit because there’s no third man, only a slip,” he explained.
Why Kishore doesn’t advise sudden shift to traditional approach
However, Kishore does not feel that it is entirely a bad thing He compared it to England's Bazball as the attacking style has the ability to change the game quickly. Also, he does not want Tamil Nadu batters to shift to traditional style of play all of a sudden as it will only lead to more problems.
“The problem is that if you don’t practise those low-risk shots for six months, you can’t suddenly produce them in a one-month red-ball tournament. That’s why the skill has dipped. But at the same time, it can be a positive. England plays this high-risk style and succeeds. If someone here can adopt it fully, they can become a complete game-changer. You might get out first ball, but if it clicks, the match is over,” the 28-year-old said.
“That’s what I try to emphasise. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll suddenly become a traditional player in a month. Instead, double down on what you do best — be even more aggressive. If it fails, no problem, I’ll back you to play the same way next game. But make sure the bowler feels you’re coming after him. That mindset itself can tilt the contest.”
Last year, India batters struggled against New Zealand spinners on spin-friendly tracks. It led to their historic series whitewash in the three-Test series, dimming hopes of making it to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final.
No place in India squad but Kishore proves his mettle across formats
Kishore has been a proven performer in Test cricket but yet to make his Test debut. He has 203 wickets from 48 games at an average of 23.57, including 13 five-wicket hauls. But, with Ravindra Jadeja in the team, it is unlikely that Sai Kishore makes it to the Test team.
Recently, he played two games for Surrey in the County Championship Division One 2025 and claimed 11 wickets, including a fifer. Before that, he led IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans to Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) title win. Earlier in the year, he had a breakthrough Indian Premier League (IPL) season with Gujarat Titans (GT) where he picked 19 wickets from 15 games at an average of 20.68.
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