Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced doubts over Ben Stokes’ method against spin following the England captain’s dismissal in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide. Set a demanding 435-run chase, England were dismissed for 352 in the second innings, with Nathan Lyon getting rid of Stokes.

The 82-run loss confirmed Australia’s Ashes triumph and pushed England’s run of series defeats in the country to four in a row. Reacting to the result, Ashwin suggested that Stokes would benefit from reviewing his technique and identifying areas that need attention.

On his YouTube channel, Ashwin spoke about Stokes’ approach against spinners based on his own experiences bowling to him. The former India spinner has dismissed the England all-rounder 13 times in Tests, the most he has removed any batter.

In his assessment of Stokes’ technique, Ashwin highlighted that batting against spin demands a distinct mindset compared to pace, with greater emphasis on reading the delivery straight from the bowler’s release.

“Stokes has been dismissed by off-spin regularly for as long as I’ve bowled to him and observed his game. Are we really addressing that? He’s an outstanding cricketer with the right mindset, but spin can’t be tackled the same way as pace. You need to pick the ball early and read the line. If you don’t, you leave yourself exposed,” Ashwin said.

Ashwin observed that the reliance on sweep and reverse sweep among non-Asian batters stems from shortcomings in their conventional defence against spin, making them vulnerable over time.

“I notice a lot of western batters , including Ben Stokes, Ben Duckett and Aiden Markram resorting to the sweep or reverse sweep because their defence against spin isn’t sound. Once you commit to that shot, you’re guessing the line in advance rather than watching the ball closely,” he added.