Sachin Tendulkar feels adding leg-spin to arsenal will help an off-spinner big-time
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Sachin Tendulkar has stated that an off-spinner can adapt more to the rigours of the game of cricket if he has leg-spin as a part of his armoury. The Master Blaster has also added that Mayank Markande is a wonderful prospect and heaped praise on his ability to disguise the googly quite efficiently.
One of the biggest talking points of the Indian Premier League so far is Ravichandran Ashwin bowling leg-spin rather than bowling his conventional tricks - off-spin and carrom balls. The Indian star, who has found himself out of favour in limited overs cricket, practised that trick in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Tamil Nadu and has used it in the IPL, albeit with moderate effect.Ā
His decision, however, has not gone down well with the Indian selectors, as some BCCI officials revealed that Ashwinās overconfidence may result in his ousting from the Test squad against England. However, the Kings XI Punjab skipper has found support from Sachin Tendulkar, who had mastered the art of mixing both leg-spin and off-spin with effortless ease.Ā
"I feel it can only help. It's like you know two to three different languages. Now there is no harm in knowing five or six different languages. It can't take away anything from you," Tendulkar told PTI.
"It's exactly the same when one develops more variation. So it's wrong to say that they (finger spinners) are joining a bandwagon now that they are bowling leg spin. No, they aren't. Rather, we should see that they have put in
"I can talk about myself. In matches, I used to bowl off-spin to left-handers and leg-breaks to right-handers. If you are able to do it, then why not," Tendulkar added.
Leg-spin has always been a rare art in international cricket and it is only in recent times that leg-spinners have started becoming a dominant force. And looking at Mayank Markande - Mumbaiās latest scouting star - it is distinctly visible how leg-spinners have sent the finger-spinners down the pecking order in the country.Ā Apart from the conventional flippers or sliders, Markande possesses a nice googly - a must for any leggie - but the way he disguises them hasĀ impressed Tendulkar.
"Leg-spinners have got the batsmen to think. Mayank (Markande) has got the batters to think and watch him even
There may be 100s of them, but if one century that had established an endearing legacy of Sachin Tendulkar in the minds of cricket fans, it was his āDesert Stormā innings against Australia in Sharjah. That magnificent unbeaten 143 in 1998 has etched in cricket's history as a timeless classic and can be considered as the best ODI knock of all-time.Ā
On being asked about the innings, the Master Blaster, who is celebrating his 45th birthday today, said, "It's a great feeling. All these things have happened in my life. I feel blessed to have had all these wonderful moments in my career. I think those two Sharjah matches are etched in people's memories."
