Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta has called on the national selectors to explore spin options beyond Ravindra Jadeja, citing the veteran all-rounder’s recent returns in Sri Lanka as evidence that India’s frontline spinner is no longer the automatic, match-defining force he once was. Dasgupta’s critique, anchored in the eight wickets Jadeja took across his last four innings in the island nation, frames a wider question about succession planning in India’s Test spin department ahead of a demanding upcoming schedule.
Jadeja’s eight wickets in four innings in Sri Lanka represent a modest return for a bowler who, in home conditions, has historically been India’s most reliable spin-wicket-taking option. Dasgupta, speaking after reviewing the tour, argued that the figures pointed to a drop in effectiveness rather than a temporary dip in form. The former gloveman stressed that the Indian team management should weigh younger options before locking in selections for the next Test cycle, particularly because sub-continental pitches are expected to feature prominently in India’s immediate calendar.
Dasgupta specifically highlighted young left-arm spinner Manav Suthar as a candidate worth investing in. Suthar, who has built a strong record in domestic cricket, represents the next wave of Indian spin talent that selectors have so far only blooded sparingly. By pointing to Suthar as a credible alternative, Dasgupta joined a growing chorus of voices — including former coaches, captains, and cricket analysts — who have questioned whether the team is adequately preparing a generation of spinners capable of stepping into the breach once Jadeja’s Test career winds down.
A second thread in Dasgupta’s remarks touched on discipline. He pointed to Jadeja’s tendency to overstep, warning that no-balls at the highest level are an unforgiving luxury, particularly in tight Test matches where extras can decide sessions and outcomes. While Dasgupta did not name specific incidents, his broader argument was that Jadeja’s recent returns reflect a combination of fading effectiveness and a lapse in the kind of relentless discipline that has long distinguished India’s best bowlers.
Analysis: Dasgupta’s intervention matters less for what it says about one player than for what it reveals about India’s spin-bowling depth chart. Jadeja, who turned 37 in 2025, is closer to the end of his Test career than the beginning. The fact that a former international cricketer feels compelled to publicly raise succession questions suggests that selectors have not yet communicated a clear plan for what Indian cricket looks like without its most experienced all-rounder. If the team management takes the criticism on board, the next domestic season could see increased scrutiny of spinners like Suthar, Washington Sundar, and others, with selectors potentially using first-class fixtures as readiness tests. If the comments are brushed aside, India risks repeating a pattern that has plagued several teams in the past — a delayed transition that becomes a forced one only when the established player is injured or retires suddenly.
Background: Ravindra Jadeja has been a fixture of India’s Test side since his debut in 2012, playing 75 Tests and forming, alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, what is widely regarded as one of the most potent spin pairs in modern Test history. The duo was instrumental in India’s home dominance through the late 2010s and early 2020s, particularly in series wins against Australia, England, and New Zealand. However, Jadeja’s batting, which for years earned him the all-rounder tag, has also occasionally come under scrutiny for inconsistency in overseas conditions. With Ashwin having retired from international cricket in late 2024, Jadeja is now the senior spinner in the Indian attack, a position that makes the question of his successor all the more pressing. Deep Dasgupta, who played six Tests for India between 2001 and 2002 as a wicketkeeper-batter, has carved out a steady second career as a broadcaster and analyst, lending weight to his observations about technique and selection.
Why it matters: India’s Test schedule over the next 18 months is expected to include demanding tours to places like South Africa, Australia, and England, as well as home series against top-ranked opposition. Each of these assignments requires a varied bowling attack, with spinners who can hold down an end, build pressure, and take 20 wickets alongside the seamers. Jadeja’s value has always been precisely that — control, accuracy, and wicket-taking ability. If that control is genuinely slipping, as Dasgupta suggests, India cannot afford to enter critical away tours without a tested Plan B. Equally, a high-profile public call for change could embolden selectors to take bold calls on younger bowlers without waiting for a crisis to force their hand.
The Manav Suthar angle is particularly interesting. Suthar, a left-arm orthodox spinner, has long been viewed as one of the more promising young fingerspinners in the Indian domestic circuit. His selection in India A squads has been intermittent, and his lack of a sustained run in first-class cricket has meant that his ceiling remains unproven at the senior level. Dasgupta’s public backing could accelerate conversations about whether Suthar deserves a longer rope, particularly in conditions that suit classical Indian spin.
Analysis: The discipline question raised by Dasgupta is also a proxy for a broader concern about workload and focus. Jadeja has been a near-permanent presence across formats for India, and as he ages, managing his body and mind becomes more difficult. No-balls, dropped catches, and lapses in concentration are often the first signs that a player is being asked to do too much. If selectors read Dasgupta’s comments as a signal to rotate Jadeja more carefully through the Test side, the immediate beneficiary could be a younger bowler getting valuable overs, and the longer-term beneficiary could be Jadeja himself, arriving at major series fresher and sharper.
What to watch next: Several developments will clarify whether Dasgupta’s remarks are heeded. First, India’s squad announcements for upcoming Test series will reveal whether Manav Suthar is elevated to the senior squad, named as a standby, or continues in the India A ranks. Second, the India A fixtures themselves — likely to feature spinners being auditioned in match conditions — will provide selectors with a clearer read on which players are ready. Third, Jadeja’s domestic and India A appearances over the coming months will be scrutinised for signs of a return to his best, particularly in terms of control and wicket-taking consistency. Fourth, the team management’s public messaging around spin combinations will indicate whether Jadeja’s role is being re-defined or remains unchanged.
Conclusion: Deep Dasgupta’s call for India to look beyond Ravindra Jadeja is, on its face, a comment about one bowler’s recent returns. In substance, it is a comment about an Indian Test team approaching a transition it has not fully planned for. Whether the selectors choose to act on the criticism, or whether Jadeja responds with a strong run of form that silences the doubters, will shape India’s spin-bowling identity for the rest of the decade. For now, the debate itself is a useful one — and one that cricket followers, including the selectors, should welcome.
Sources
[Times of India – Top Stories](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/8-wickets-in-4-innings-yet-former-india-wk-batter-urges-team-to-look-beyond-ravindra-jadeja/articleshow/133712617.cms)
Source: Times of India – Top Stories
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Story synopsis gathered from: Times of India – Top Stories — source
