Mumbai: Before the Bengaluru Test, the last time Ravichandran Ashwin got 1 or fewer wickets was December 2023 in Centurion. The last time Ashwin got 1 or fewer wickets in a Test match in Asia was December 2022 in Chattogram. But the last time Ashwin got 1 or went wicket-less in a Test match in India was much further back in time – November 2019 in Kolkata against Bangladesh. It was the pink ball Test where pacers had a ball and Ashwin bowled only 5 overs.

Ashwin is not used to being bested by opponents at home. Statistically, he is the most successful bowler on Indian soil. In 35 of his 63 Test matches in India, Ashwin has picked up 5-fers on 35 occasions; again more than anyone else. Suffice to say, India’s premier spinner would be hurt with his returns in Bengaluru. Not only did he get only 1 wicket, but also conceded 5.55 runs per over, including a 20-run over, his costliest ever.

While his economy was smeared by Tim Southee’s long levers, it would concern him more that New Zealand’s stylish southpaw Rachin Ravindra was able to take a heavy toll. Not just Ashwin, all the three Indian spinners would be smarting from Rachin’s commanding performance at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Like Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav was expensive (ER 5.81) for his 3 wickets. Ravindra Jadeja was less mistreated (ER 3.61) for his 3 wickets, but it wasn’t his best performance either. More than 100 runs of Rachin’s 134 in the first innings – it won him the Man of the Match – came against spin.

India is a proud country of tweakers. Their invincibility at home is a product of their spin might. On more than one occasion in recent times, the spinners have been challenged. Last winter, it was Ollie Pope at Hyderabad and Ben Duckett at Rajkot in England’s Test tour of India, now it’s the Kiwi of Indian origin Rachin.

India was able to arrest the advance of Pope and Duckett, whose hundreds were more riotous because of their unorthodoxy, with plenty of sweeps and reverse sweeps. With Duckett, Kuldeep began bowling wider lines to foil his plans. Pope ultimately ran out of steam.

Rachin appears to be made of sterner stuff. A lot of his success against spin is a product of surety of footwork. The left-hander was unafraid of playing against the spin because of his ability to step down the track at will. Against Ashwin, he was able to score 90 percent of his runs on the on side with his reach and wristy play, forcing the spinner to miss his lengths.

A big number, 76 percent, of his runs against Jadeja came on the offside, foiling the bowler’s plan to bowl wide lines, in trying to find some rough. Every time Kuldeep gave the ball air, Rachin had emphatic answers.

“I wouldn’t say I am looking to attack but I’m hoping to get into good positions that allow me to score,” Rachin said in the post-match presentation. “It’s just hopefully the way I move allows me to score in different areas. It’s not about getting the boundary every time but also about rotating the strike.”

“Our spinners tried and did everything possible to extract whatever was there on the pitch. Some of the shots that Rachin played were really, really good. He played very good cricket and played well against the spinners. They challenged him but you got to give him credit. He understood what our spinners tried to do and did not back off from playing his natural game, which is what gave him the result against our quality spinners,” Rohit Sharma said.

In defence of the spinners, their task became difficult in Bengaluru, as the pitch was better suited for fast bowling. New Zealand’s spin attack wasn’t of the same quality and proved to be even more expensive (ER 5.10). But the Kiwis could use them more tactically and attack with the new ball using their three seamers.

It won’t come as any surprise if the red ball pitches, in Pune and Mumbai, take more turn. As mathematical equations go, the difficulty quotient will go up. The close-in fieldsmen will come into play. But Rachin has come prepared for just that from his time in the Chennai Super Kings academy in lead up to the tour.

New Zealand has plenty of attacking options in Daryll Mitchell and Glenn Philips, but how their next big thing Rachin shapes up against a motivated Indian spin attack, looking to channel their hurt pride to bounce back, may have a huge bearing on the series.

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