Spinning Heads

Though the Indians have gotten better at many aspects, they have not been able to work as much on batting against spin on a spin-friendly pitch.

- Sanjay Manjrekar

When I was part of the Indian team in the 1990s, we had earned a reputation of being tigers at home and lambs overseas. It was true; we were brilliant at home. We prepared vicious, turning pitches, picked three spinners in the side and won Test matches quickly. But, when we went abroad, our confidence dipped the moment we landed at the airport. Suddenly, we weren't walking with our chests out. We would be overawed by everything we saw there, including the opposition. Sure enough, this reflected in our performance.

Today's Indian team is different. When the players go abroad, they aren't as enamoured—foreigners and foreign countries are not a big deal anymore.