Leg-spinners are more successful than anybody else, says Kapil Dev

Wrist-spinners have become one of the main weapons in world cricket at the moment. Every team, be it a franchise or an international team, a leg-spinner is a part of the limited-overs team with the main reason being their ability to take wickets in the middle-overs of the game despite being a touch expensive. Hence, leg-spinners have been ruling the roast in recent times. 

Legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev reckons that the wrist-spinners from the start of the IPL are one of the most successful bowlers. Ravichandran Ashwin, who is one of the most successful spinners in the history of the IPL, has also experimented by bowling leg-spin in this IPL. 

“Everybody has a different bowling attack, depending on which pitch they are playing. But what we have come to know from the first or second IPL (till) now, is that the most successful bowler to come out is the leg-spinner. Every team has their leg-spinner. Even a bowler like (Ravichandran) Ashwin, he likes to bowl more leg-spin than off spin. That shows the leg-spinners are more successful than anybody else,” Kapil Dev was quoted saying by The Hindu. 

Nowadays, teams also prefer to play with two wrist-spinners to give themselves attacking options. In the last game, CSK dropped Harbhajan Singh for Karn Sharma despite having Imran Tahir in the XI. Kapil Dev also praised young leg-spinner Mayank Markande, who has taken the world by storm by picking wickets life plucking apples in a garden. 

“Karn is playing, not Harbhajan (Singh), so Chennai is playing with two leg-spinners (the other being Imran Tahir). I think that is where in spinners you don’t see so many off-spinners, you don’t see left-arm spinners so much, but you see leg spinners definitely. Markande is good and if you are a good leg spinner, it always adds on to the team,” Kapil added. 

Apart from these leg-spinners, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been one of the most consistent bowlers in the last few seasons. He has won the purple cap in the last two editions (2016 and 2017) and he has started very well in this season as well. 

“He (Bhuvaneshwar) had been excellent in the last three years, why only this one (IPL), he is fabulous, more mature and sensible,” the former India all-rounder added. 

T20 was touted as a batsman’s game but the bowlers have evolved as well. Lots of variation have been introduced and the bowlers have managed to stay on par with the batters. 

“From 100 years, it’s (cricket) a batsman’s game, it’s never been a bowler’s game even though in the last 10 years (of the IPL), so many good things have come out from the bowlers — knuckle-balls and slow bouncers. T20 is (not only) for batsmen (but) is there for everybody and you need to improve your skill,” the 59-year-old said.