Spinning a web like the masters did

Deep underneath the analysis and the statistics, the manuals and the regulations, there is a romance that makes the ‘gentlemen’s game’ mean more to the audience. True cricket lovers hardly ever get bored of that 22 yard brown patch in the middle or the lovely 70 yard green around it or the multi-coloured motley wafting like a wave in the ocean, witnessing history being made, records written and unwritten and epic tales of heroism being played out.

The last week has been a good one for Indian cricket. It doesn’t exactly alleviate the pain of a home series loss to England, neither is it the panacea for the overseas drubbing. Yet, it is a start, for three distinct reasons. It might be like what Manjrekar didn’t fail to remind us of session after session – Dhoni’s rebirth as a middle order bat. After all, a 99 and a double century in back to back Tests, both under immense pressure, would be reason enough for anyone’s optimism. It is not often that Kohli gets overshadowed when he scores, but he still has etched a mark of his own. Back to back centuries at No.5, once again under pressure, already make him a definite pillar for the future coliseum that the fans are hoping for. If Dhoni’s blitzkrieg was classic rock, Kohli complemented it with the lilting tunes of Amjad Ali’s Sarod at sunset. To me, the most pertinent positive though was Ashwin’s two 5-wicket hauls. It was a spinning pitch alright, and Ashwin has taken quite a few 5-wicket hauls in his short career already. But it was a delightful performance for more reasons than one.

India has always been affluent enough to find those who could spin webs, whether it was in cricket or in politics. While the latter doesn’t serve us well, the former has won us many a game. Venkatraghavan, the off-spinner, had 156 wickets at 36 apiece. Erapalli Prasanna had 189 at 30. Bedi had 266 at nearly 29 apiece and Chandresekhar had 242 at 29 apiece as well. Their numbers aren’t really important in the present context for Harbhajan has more than 400 wickets to his name. What was important was the belief that they could get a wicket, out-thinking the batsman, not through a dalliance with the pitch. Bedi, for example, was an off-spinner with a clear action and a clearer disdain for the ‘other one’. For those who love classic Test cricket, Swann’s wickets always look more pleasing than Ajmal’s. There is a romance in the ball that dips and turns after eluding a batsman who feels he is on top of his game. There is a romance in the ball twirling and repelling off the surface; and that is exactly the reason why Indian spinners could win them matches overseas, whether it was in England or in Australia, not just on the dust bowls we get in India.

When you consider the legacy, what Ashwin did at Chennai would raise a few hopes especially at a time when the other star spinner is persistently fading into oblivion. Ashwin said in one of the interviews that it was the body position that was stopping him from generating enough spin and that he had corrected it with the help of his coach. Most viewers will wonder what the fuss is all about. Well, for the ball to spin off the track, the action, the delivery stride and rip are just as important as the actual surface on which the ball lands. The rip and the seam position, combined with a graceful delivery action, could provide off-spinners a beautiful drift which makes the ball do two things to trouble the batsman – move off the air away and then come in after pitching. Ashwin, being a tall bowler, will also have the added advantages of bounce that Kumble used so effectively and guiled flight that needs the ball to sometimes go over the batsman’s eye-line.

Yes, there are a zillion technicalities involved in the art of spinning but the foundation, as Ashwin finally seems to have realised, comprises of other aspects; the patience to wait for a mistake rather than trying too much every ball, the consistency to pitch it on the same spot over after over and the ability to watch what the batsman is thinking. The legacy of great off-spinners like Prasanna and Bedi should have created wonderful spinners; for spin, like reverse swing, adds an element of mystique to the game. If Ashwin were to retain the attitude he showed in the first Test, he might be a handful, not just in India but also on the harder surfaces of Australia and South Africa where India cannot compete with pacers alone. It is not just the batting that India needs in tougher tours, but a spinner who can lure the batsman into his web and deceive him with all aplomb; a spinner who can gain the extra ground that Indian pace bowlers would always lose when compared to the quicks from Australia, South Africa or England. And for a lover of Indian cricket, what could be more romantic than a spinner winning them a game abroad on his own might?