In less than two weeks, the Indian cricket team led by Shubman Gill is set to play the opening Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle. Last time the Indians toured the Island Nation for a Test series, Virat Kohli’s side went on to win the series with a 3-0 margin. 

Former Indian wicketkeeper and batter Deep Dasgupta has expressed massive concerns over the side’s ability to play quality spin bowlers.

In 2025, the team struggled to contend against Simon Harmer in the home series against South Africa in late 2025. A year earlier, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel had spun a web around India’s batters to help the Kiwis win the series 3-0. 

Dasgupta, speaking on his YouTube channel, said, “We have seen a new batting order since the series against South Africa.

I wouldn’t say it is fear, but there is concern. How will the Indians be able to play in conditions suited for spin bowling? Sri Lanka rely a lot on spin bowling, which is their strength. How will the Indian batters play and handle it? That is going to be the biggest challenge.”

The 49-year-old also said, “Sri Lanka in their own backyard have always been difficult to play against, and considering the conditions, the task gets difficult. To play successive away series in Sri Lanka and New Zealand is going to be a tough ask.

If we remove the one-off Test against Afghanistan, the Indians have lost two home series to the Kiwis and the Proteas. So, one cannot take any team lightly.”

How has India done against spin bowlers in recent times?

Before the one-off Afghanistan Test, the Indian side played South Africa in a two-game series and had lost both. Harmer took 17 wickets from two games, which included nine wickets in the second Test, which was played in Guwahati. The veteran off-spin bowler took 6/37 from 23 overs in the second innings of the game. 

In the first Test, the bowler had claimed eight wickets, which included four wickets in each innings, as the 37-year-old finished with 8/51 in the game. In 2024, Kiwi spinner Patel took 15 wickets while Santner claimed 13. Glenn Phillips, with his occasional off-spin bowling, had also managed to pick up eight wickets. 

Gill’s side will face the main threat from Prabath Jayasuriya in the upcoming series.

The left-arm spinner has become the bowling spearhead for his side since his debut in 2022 and has gone on to claim 125 wickets from 23 Test matches.