Don’t think finger spinners need more than two variations in T20 cricket, states Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh has stated that a spinner, in particular a finger spinner, does not need more than two variations to succeed in T20 cricket, opining that extra knowledge could be disruptive. Harbhajan also revealed that in T20, the bowlers must take advantage of batsmen stepping out for runs.
Ravichandran Ashwin’s stock has been on the rise since he made his debut for the IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings. Since his debut, the Tamil Nadu man's variations alongside his stock delivery won him plaudits, including a place in the 2011 World Cup squad in which Ashwin was a prominent feature in the Indian side. On top of that, the off-spinner was also one of the early few who introduced and made inroads with the carrom ball.
On the contrary, however, in the same lineup, there was Ravindra Jadeja, who liked to bowl at a pace but only had a few variations under his belt, but was successful, regardless, busting the myth about spinners requiring variations to succeed in the shortest format. Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh revealed that finger spinners do not need more than two variations in the shortest format of the game and further added that extra knowledge could sometimes be very disruptive for the bowler.
“Because I don't think we need more than two [types of] balls. Extra knowledge can at times be disruptive. My main asset was bounce. If I start bowling cross-seam, I don't get much bounce, though with cross-seam, the ball can turn a lot if the surface is rough, and the batsman cannot judge the turn and spin because the seam is not visible,” Harbhajan told ESPNCricinfo.
The off-spinner also noted that former English offie Graeme Swann’s success came off being simple and without much variations. The off-spinner from Punjab stated that varying the pace behind a delivery would help the spinners in leading the batsmen to make a mistake.
“Swann was a perfect example. What a bowler he was. He could get people out like this… especially left-handers, without doing anything . That is because he used the pace behind the ball so nicely. Wah! I used to enjoy watching him,” he added.
“If you go defensive, thinking I will give him one run, then are you playing for the batsman? As a bowler, when the chance [to take a wicket] comes, you should go for it. In T20 you get a lot of opportunities,” he concluded.
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