A case to play two off spinners

Ever since Jim Laker opened up a scar in the Australian batting psyche in the summer of 1956, the spectre of right arm finger spin has loomed large over the Aussies down the tunnel of time. The theory that Australian batsmen are suspect against off spin has been borne out in Test matches against India by a stream of bowlers from Ghulam Ahmed in 1956/57 down to Harbhajan Singh in 2000-01.

The leading exponent was undoubtedly Erapalli Prasanna, a master of flight whom Ian Chappell hailed as the best spin bowler he faced in Test cricket. "His small stature gave him an advantage over taller spinners like Ashley Mallett and Lance Gibbs, for Pras always threw the ball high in the air. Most times, batsmen expected a juicy half-volley or even a full toss as the ball left his hand, but such was his control of flight that the ball always managed to arrive just a fraction shorter than the batsman had anticipated" said Chappell.

Pras netted 51 wickets in two back-to-back series against Australia in the late sixties but there have been other tormentors too. Ghulam Ahmed produced figures of seven for 49 in Calcutta, catching the Aussies on their retreat from Laker's battlefield in the winter of the same year. Jasu Patel played only seven Tests in the fifties, five against the Aussies; but for one transcendent moment at Kanpur which won India its first ever Test against Australia, he would have been long forgotten. Indeed 18 of the 20 wickets in that match fell to the same breed of bowling, for apart from Patel's 14, Polly Umrigar accounted for four more.

The other off spinner in India's famous spin quartet, Srini Venkataraghavan did not enjoy marked success against the Aussies. In nine Tests spread over three series, he took 20 wickets, playing a primarily defensive role that complemented his partners in crime. The Aussies probably had greater cause to remember Venkat for his prehensile hands that swallowed seven catches around the bat. Venkat was dropped in the 1979/80 series to coincide with the emergence of 22-year-old Shivlal Yadav who went on to finish with 102 Test wickets, more than half (55) against the Aussies. Two other pretenders briefly appeared in the interregnum between Yadav and Harbhajan Singh, who made a quiet debut against Australia at Bangalore three seasons ago in the shadow of Anil Kumble.

Prasanna agrees that the Australians are vulnerable to off spin. "Most Australians come into the line of the ball before it is delivered. They always like to play with the turn to square leg or mid wicket. They commit themselves too early to the incoming ball. The theory says the ball has to turn in and that is what they apply. If you saw Ricky Ponting's dismissal, you would know what I mean. When the ball doesn't do as much as they expect, it catches them by surprise."

It's been suggested that the scarcity of top-class off spinners in Australia has contributed to their discomfort; only three have taken 100 Test wickets in the last half century. But by the same token slow left armers have been even rarer. Richie Benaud does suggest the off spinner is not a prized commodity in that part of the world. "On a good wicket, the average off spinner will give no trouble at all. Except possibly on an English tour an off spinner is unlikely to command a regular place in the Australian XI" he says.

India have gone in with an off spinner in only 41 of the 59 Tests against Australia. Curiously enough the orthodox left arm spinner has been a more indispensable adjunct, at least one of them being used in 55 Tests. It helped of course that a few like Vinoo Mankad, Bapu Nadkarni and Ravi Shastri were pretty handy with the bat too. It's not surprising then that left armers have been more successful in terms of wickets, but the averages tell the deeper tale. The 208 wickets accruing to left armers have come at 32.6 apiece, while off spinners have 197 at 28. The strike rates are more damning. A left armer takes a wicket every 79.1 balls, an off spinner every 61.6. Maybe Sarandeep and Harbhajan ought to play together after all.