Many top cricket teams have been reluctant to rely on off-spinners, and there has been a noticeable lack of confidence in them. As a result, most teams have either not included off-spinners at all or have included part-time off-spinners in their squads.
When Team India initially announced its World Cup squad on September 5, there was no off-spinner included. However, due to an injury to left-arm spinner Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin was eventually added to the team, highlighting the current lack of trust in off-spinners or the scarcity of high-quality off-spinners.
Currently, non-Asian cricket teams do not have a regular off-spinner in their lineups. England has Moeen Ali, Australia relies on Glenn Maxwell, and Pakistan uses part-time off-spinners like Iftikhar Ahmed and Agha Salman.
Sri Lanka has Mahish Teekshana, but he is more of a mystery spinner than a traditional off-spinner, often using wrist spin techniques. Bangladesh has Mehdi Hasan and Mehdi Hasan Miraj, while Afghanistan features off-spinners like Mujeeb ur Rahman.
Indeed, it’s worth noting that several top-order batsmen in international cricket today, such as Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, David Warner, Alex Carey, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Imam ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman, and Saud Shakeel, are left-handed. In such a scenario, an off-spinner can be highly effective as they can exploit the natural variation that brings the ball into the batsman. Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that Ravichandran Ashwin is known for his ability to bowl effectively in the powerplay and with the new ball, which can pose a significant challenge to these left-handed top-order batsmen.
Left-arm spinners like Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav have become prominent in the Indian cricket team. They are now seen as a viable alternative to off-spinners.