9 mystery spinners through the ages

7. Bhagwath Chandrasekhar

Chandrasekhar was one of India’s biggest match-winner overseas

One of the major names amongst the famous spin quartet of India, Chandrasekhar brandished his fastish leg-spin which rattled the best in the business. A superb performer, Chandra was one of India’s biggest match-winner overseas with 42 wickets in 5 Tests.

He once admitted that he even didn’t know what he was going to ball. His sharp googlies, venomous top-spinners and leg-breaks-all bowled at near medium-pace with a whipping action made him the one who could produce magic out of nothing.

On tracks which didn’t offer spin, Chandra went on to take 6 for 38 at the Oval to give their first series victory in England in 1971 and he also played a major part in India’s first win down under, taking 12 for 104 in Melbourne.

Even the swashbuckling Viv Richards admitted, “It took me a long, long time to come to terms with Chandra. He was the most teasing bowler I ever had to face, and I never quite knew whether I was in charge or not. That was his greatness. His ability to lure opponents into a false sense of security was deadly. How is a batsman supposed to dominate such a man? How can he build his own confidence when he does not know whether the bowler is faking or not? ... To this day he probably remains the one bowler for whom I have most respect. He could do things with the ball that seemed supernatural.”