Former India spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan has questioned the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after India's bowling attack struggled to finish off Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo. Reacting to the Indian team's performance on social media, Sivaramakrishnan asked why the NCA was unable to produce quality spinners. He also questioned the work done by the academy’s previous director and spin-bowling coach.
He shared a post on social media and raised serious questions. He said, "Good morning After seeing so many posts about Indian cricket team's display on the last day. The question that comes to my mind, why is NCA now COE not able to produce Good Spinners? Who were the Director and Spin Bowling Coach during the last few years? Did they do their Job???"
His comments came after India failed to take the final four Sri Lankan wickets on the last day of the second Test. India had enforced the follow-on after bowling Sri Lanka out for 290, but the hosts fought back strongly and finished on 429/9 to secure a draw. India still won the two-Test series 1-0.
Sonal Dinusha was at the centre of Sri Lanka's resistance, remaining unbeaten on 133. Keshara Nuwantha also played a key role before being dismissed for 46. India's bowlers were forced to work for long spells on a pitch that offered little help.
Manav Suthar finished with three wickets, while Ravindra Jadeja also took three. Prasidh Krishna picked up one wicket and Mohammed Siraj one, but India could not break through quickly enough.
The bowling effort also exposed India's problems with no-balls. Saransh Jain bowled four no-balls and Jadeja one, while India's spinners were reported to have bowled 10 no-balls in the Test. India's spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule admitted that the issue was a concern and said work was being done to correct it.
With India unable to complete the win despite having Sri Lanka in serious trouble earlier in the match, Sivaramakrishnan's criticism has added another layer to the debate over India's bowling development and the role of the NCA.
