​New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin has retired. Ravindra Jadeja is nearing the end of an illustrious career. Axar Patel has lost his bite, Kuldeep Yadav his magic, Varun Chakravarthy his mystery, and Washington Sundar can only be a containing bowler at best. India’s famed spin factory is showing worrying signs of running dry, and the cupboard suddenly looks alarmingly bare.In the search for wicket-taking bowlers, there are few convincing options. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, despite bowling three no-balls in the second T20I against England and being dropped for the remaining matches, has been picked as Varun Chakravarthy’s replacement for the Zimbabwe tour.Eyebrows were raised when the selectors picked 33-year-old Madhya Pradesh off-spinner Saransh Jain and Uttar Pradesh leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, who had not played a first-class match in six years, in the India A squad for the Sri Lanka tour.TimesofIndia. com can confirm that Jain earned his selection after impressing former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh during a specialist camp for emerging off-spinners conducted at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in March. Zeeshan, meanwhile, caught the eye of head coach Gautam Gambhir in Chandigarh, where he was one of the seven net bowlers with the Indian team ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.With few proven options left in the pipeline, India’s spin department is looking worryingly thin.The debacle in Ireland and EnglandIndia’s 6-0 loss across the T20I series in Ireland and England has had alarm bells ringing over the team’s performances.In T20 cricket, overs seven to fifteen are often described as the game’s tactical heart. This is where quality spin attacks break partnerships, slow the scoring rate and force batters into mistakes. India’s spinners have done neither consistently in recent weeks.In the first T20I against Ireland, the hosts were reeling at 51 for 4 in 7.1 overs. What followed was a 64-run stand off just 44 balls between Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany that completely changed the complexion of the innings. India managed only one wicket between overs 7 and 15, the phase where spinners are expected to squeeze runs and pick up wickets. Axar Patel eventually finished with 2 for 33, but both his wickets came in the 18th and 20th overs, long after Ireland had rebuilt. Washington Sundar, meanwhile, leaked 19 runs in a single over, further easing the pressure.The second T20I followed a similar template. Ireland were 48 for 3 after 7.3 overs, but Harry Tector and Ben Calitz added 65 runs in 43 balls for the fourth wicket. Axar Patel, India’s lone specialist spinner in the game, returned figures of 0 for 28 from four overs but could not find the breakthrough India desperately needed.England executed that plan even more ruthlessly. In the second T20I, England were reduced to 51 for 3 in 4.4 overs. Yet again, India failed to capitalise. Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton stitched a 67-run partnership off 50 balls, taking the game away.India’s spin tri