"This has almost become like a pattern against the spinners" – VVS Laxman wary of India's struggles

VVS Laxman is worried about India’s recent struggles against spin. The former cricketer pointed to the dismissals of Indian batsmen during the third ODI against England, admitting their deficiencies against the slower bowlers were a cause for concern.

India lost four wickets to spin during the third ODI - the most lost by them in an innings this series. What was even more concerning was that it was the top-order batsmen who perished against the spin trio of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone.

Speaking at the mid-innings show on Star Sports, VVS Laxman discussed India’s spin struggles.

"The dismissal of KL Rahul was very unfortunate, getting out on a full toss. But both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be really disappointed when they would see the replay because this has almost become like a pattern against the spinners," VVS Laxman said.

Including that six against Adil Rashid, Rohit Sharma has a very iffy record against leg spin in the Powerplay. Across his career, he's scored 15 runs, from 23 balls, with four dismissals. He's done well to see Rashid off. #INDvENG

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) March 20, 2021

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were dismissed by Adil Rashid against the run of play, with the openers failing to read the spinner’s googly from the hand.

Moeen Ali bowled Virat Kohli once again, beating the Indian skipper with turn. KL Rahul, on the other hand, was sent packing fortuitously via a Liam Livingstone full toss.

Addressing the four dismissals, VVS Laxman expounded on where it went wrong for India’s batsmen.

"Rohit Sharma not able to read the googly from Adil Rashid and then Shikhar Dhawan got out. And then, Moeen Ali gets the wicket of Virat Kohli. The ball was pitched up and Virat Kohli was looking to play through the off side against the turn, giving himself room," the 46-year-old added.

VVS Laxman concerned about how India played spin on Sunday

Most International Wickets of Virat Kohli:-10: Tim Southee09: Moeen Ali*09: Adil Rashid08: Ben Stokes08: James Anderson08: Graeme Swann#INDvENG

— ComeOn Cricket 🏏🇮🇳 (@ComeOnCricket) March 28, 2021

The way India has combated spin has been a hot topic of discussion during the ODI series.

India played out Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid defensively in the second ODI, choosing to knock them around. India came under criticism after losing the game as pundits slammed the hosts for their cautious approach on a pitch tailor-made for batting.

India have historically been a side adept at countering the threat of spin bowling. However, they have failed to get on top of England’s spinners throughout this tour, with multiple bowlers getting the better of them.

VVS Laxman feels India’s struggles against spin need to be addressed.

“I think this is a cause of concern because Indian players are supposed to be excellent batsmen against spin bowling. Overall, the wonderful foundation laid by Shikhar and Rohit Sharma was halted by the spin bowling duo of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali," he said.