Aussies practiced two inches spin but are facing eight inches turn, says Narendra Hirwani

Aussies practiced two inches spin but are facing eight inches turn, says Narendra Hirwani

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Former Indian spinner Narendra Hirwani believes that Australian batsmen are experiencing a far greater turn from Indian spinners than what they had practised at nets. Heaping praise on Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, Hirwani has stated that the duo will need enough matches to improve their art.

Australian batsmen crumbled like a house of cards yet again on Thursday as they failed to chase a gettable score of 252 in 50 overs. Crediting the wrist spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav for India’s massive win, National Cricket Academy’s head spin coach Narendra Hirwani stated that the Australians were taken aback by the shocking turn on display.

He said, “The Aussies have practised for an inch or two inches of spin but they are actually facing more than eight inches of turn. No wonder, they are finding it difficult. When you spin big, then deliveries with a lesser turn or the straighter ones give batsmen nightmares.”

Heaping praise on Kuldeep Yadav, the hero of the second ODI who became only the third Indian to take a hat-trick, Hirwani pointed towards the fact that Australia have never had a chinaman bowler in their domestic cricket as a reason for their struggle against the 22-year-old.

“I don’t think they have any chinaman bowler in Australia domestic cricket, so they are struggling against Kuldeep. Chahal too has matured as a bowler. He is not only keeping it tight but also picking up wickets in middle overs,” said Hirwani.

With experienced and successful bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the pack and the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel forming the core strength, India definitely have all their bases covered ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

However, Hirwani emphasized how important it will be for the side to continue playing the youngsters and trying different combinations to improve the bench strength.

He explained, “Bench strength doesn’t mean you just have to be with the team. You need to play enough matches to get the feel of international cricket. If a quality player misses out, you should have equally good players as replacements.”

“They (Chahal and Yadav) were given opportunities in Sri Lanka and now they are getting an opportunity against Australia… In the last one-and-half years, different spinners have played in different conditions. In the next series, you might see a different spin combination. It’s always good to have options,”

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