Jadeja, Axar, Ajaz and Santner give series a new twist heading into second Test
PUNE: In Test cricket, left-arm finger spin is clearly the captain’s favorite form of spin against right-handed batsmen. The left-arm finger spinner can hit the attacking line with varying flight, trajectory and length around the wicket, taking LBW into consideration.
They can also adopt negative tactics and bowl over the wicket and outside leg-stump in red-ball cricket. A famous example is Ashley Giles’ objection to Sachin Tendulkar 2001 with Nilesh Kulkarni in the 1997 Ranji Trophy final against Delhi in Gwalior.
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Of course, bowling spinners around the wicket can be much trickier for left-handed batsmen. When a right-handed batsman faces left-arm spinners around the wicket and off-spinners above the wicket, he can see the ball with a full visual arc.
But the angle of the left arm spinner makes it more challenging due to the blind spot situation. Plus, the latter makes it easier to hit flat lines thanks to more flexibility in arm rotation and wrist angle.
This left-arm advantage, apart from his intelligence, fielding and batting contributions, makes Ravindra Jadeja India’s preferred Test spinner.
Four left-arm spinners feature in the final Test of the ongoing India-New Zealand series in Bengaluru – ajaz patelRachin Ravindra, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. None of them fit very well. Even people who don’t spin Ashwin Glenn Phillips was not immune. Being a wrist spinner, Kuldeep also received rough treatment.
Even though they have another left-arm spinner in their ranks Axar PatelIndia added an off-spinner washington sundar Team participating in the second Test in Pune.
“There are four left-handers in the New Zealand team. We want someone who can take the ball away from them,” India South Africa assistant coach Ryan Ten Dushat said here on Tuesday.
Ashwin, the owner of over 250 Test dismissals by left-hand batsmen, also bowled this line. But maybe he’s not at his peak yet. Even Kuldeep stole the ball from the left-hander. But as a wrist spinner, there are always concerns about control and economy.
With Pune pitches expected to help spinners far more than Bengaluru, New Zealand may consider playing in the tournament Mitchell Santner. There is no doubt the history of Indian batsmen struggling with unwelcome left-arm spin at home.
