Anil Kumble and L. Sivaramakrishnan must be mighty pleased with the respect spinners have been commanding in this edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
It may not be the ideal platform to judge the potential of a slow bowler, or any bowler for that matter, but the fact that there is a place for spinners in the shortest format of the game only substantiates their long-time support for their tribe.
Amit Mishra producing googlies, in a striking resemblance to Rakesh Shukla’s skills, has been a highlight of the IPL. There are others too — Piyush Chawla, Pravin Tambe, Murugan Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Pardeep Sahu — all trying to make their presence felt. Barring Chawla, the rest are exploring ways to grab a slot in domestic cricket with Tambe’s being a striking story of a first-class debut at 41.
They don’t make claims and go about their job studiously. They have to study the opponent, plot and set up his dismissal. Like any bowler. As Siva says, “the leg-spinner brings more variety than the rest. Wrist spinner means he stands to turn the ball on any pitch and have more chances of taking wickets. To me, a leg-spinner has more control and variety and gets more wickets since the element of risk a batsman takes in a Twenty20 match is more.”
Backing his argument, Siva says, “A leg-spinner will always be significant. Look at Tambe. The other night he took just one wicket (A.B. de Villiers) but it was a wicket that set up the contest. A crucial breakthrough.”
It is the effort that matters and not just the number of wickets that fall in a spinner’s bag.
Mishra, 33, has emerged a top bowler because of his maturity as a spinner. He is superb at setting up a batsman and using his googly to flummox even a well-set batsman. His forte lies in pre-empting the batsman’s designs. “It comes from Amit’s reading of the domestic situation,” says Siva. “His familiarisation of the domestic circuit makes him the most performing bowler. Plus his confidence.”
There is a method to Mishra’s approach. He loves to read the mind of the batsman. Loves to attack. Does not mind going for runs as long as he gets the batsman. “The spinners’ role is important because they come on during the middle overs and if they are wicket-taking bowlers then even if they give away 40-45 runs it doesn’t matter. What matters is the 2-3 wickets they take. For that you need to have the skill and the mindset to go for the wickets and how to bowl according to the situation,” says Mishra, who has not been fortunate to have captains who backed his ability.
A captain’s support is the crucial element in a bowler’s progress and leg-spinners need in abundance. Sunil Gavaskar tossing the ball to Siva is vivid in fans’ memory . “He would tell me not to worry about giving away runs but wanted me to pick up two or three wickets in the middle overs,” says Siva.
