Crossword Genius

Manages to keep India's spoils (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

ruins

'spoils' is the definition.
(ruining is a kind of spoiling)

'manages to keep india's' is the wordplay.
'manages' becomes 'runs' (I've seen this before).
'to keep' is an insertion indicator.
'india' becomes 'i' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'runs' going around 'i' is 'RUINS'.

(Other definitions for ruins that I've seen before include "Damaged remains (of building)" , "Mars" , "Damages beyond repair" , "Destroys" , "Derelict buildings" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.