The ball often disappears into the stands in the Twenty20 and ODI formats. These are the days of powerful bats, strong batsmen, and short boundaries. The pitches are flat as well for limited-over cricket. Clearly, the odds are against the bowlers.
And the wrist-spinners are the most vulnerable. For, it is an art where control is hard to achieve. There is bound to be the occasional full-toss or long-hop that can be brutalised.
Yet, members of this tribe have found success and often prove the difference. They attack, challenge and bamboozle the batsmen.
Come to think of it, a wrist-spinner against a marauding batsman is a fascinating face-off. It increases the excitement and decibel levels, creates opportunities. You could see a huge six or a dismissal.
This has been a season where chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal have delighted for India in the ODIs and Twenty20s.
Playing two wrist spinners in the XI is a high-risk ploy but then Kuldeep and Chahal have largely delivered. These are two diminutive bowlers, often taking on much bigger batsmen with their variety and craft.
In the slam-bang world of the IPL, the wrist spinners sting, from South Africa’s Imran Tahir to West Indies’ Samuel Badree to a host of Indians such as Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla.
Before them, leg-spinning giants Shane Warne and Anil Kumble were shining examples with their contrasting methods.
What makes these wrist-spinners tick? Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar says, “They pick wickets. And the best way to slow down the run-rate is to keep taking wickets.”
Given that they use their wrists to impart revolutions, these bowlers, unlike finger-spinners, can get the ball to turn on the flattest of tracks. “They are not dependent on pitches. It’s a huge factor in their favour on batsmen-friendly surfaces,” says Vengsarkar.
L. Sivaramakrishnan was a trend-setting leg-spinner in limited-over cricket. This gifted bowler played a significant role in India’s World Championship of Cricket triumph down under in 1985.
“It was me for India and Abdul Qadir for Pakistan in that competition,” Siva recalls. “We made a big impact then.”
Leg-spinners are confidence bowlers who need to be backed by their captains. Qadir excelled under the legendary Imran Khan who believed in his skill-set. “Siva bowled much better under [Sunil] Gavaskar [than other captains],” Vengsarkar says.
Siva agrees. “Gavaskar told me, ‘Don’t bother about runs, pick up wickets.’ He had faith in me. Virat Kohli is doing the same with Kuldeep and Chahal now.”
The different deliveries in a wrist-spinner’s arsenal make him dangerous, Siva says. “You have the leg-break, the googly, the top-spinner and the flipper. When the batsmen are trying to have a go, they often don’t pick these deliveries.”
The leg-break spins away from the right-hander while the googly, released from the back of the hand, turns in. The flipper, a back-spun ball bowled with the thumb, first and second fingers, keeps low after pitching, and the top-spinner, a forward-spun ball released from the top of the fingers, is straighter and bounces more.
For the chinaman bowler, whose stock ball breaks from off to leg, the essential variation is the back-of-the-hand googly that turns away from the right-hander.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that the ability to spin the ball both ways makes wrist-spinners effective. “They can turn the ball into and away from the right-handers. And batsmen are not able to pick their variations.”
Vengsarkar observes, “You read them either from the hand or the seam position as the ball travels. Many batsmen are doing neither today even as they line up to hit the ball.”
The dynamics of wrist-spin in limited-over cricket has also changed. For instance, Chopra notes that classical flight is not really needed. “A lot of leg-spinners today are round-arm bowlers and the resultant lower bounce actually helps them. They are also quicker through the air, have more side-spin, and bowl slightly away from the batsman’s hitting arc.”
Siva nuances the point about flight. “They are in any case above the batsman’s eye-level in his stance when they release the ball. And because they are generally short-statured, there is natural loop. Since there is spin on the ball, it will dip.”
Siva says that most leg-spinners are at an advantage since big-hitters often go against the spin. “You rarely see batsmen hitting them with the spin over extra-cover. In several situations, a leggie just needs to bowl with control and turn the ball away.”
The high-arm action, he says, has its advantages. “Warne had a high-arm action before shoulder surgery and then became a little round-armish and a lot of coaches followed that. When you bowl with a high-arm, you get more bounce, have more over-spin. In fact, I want to see Kuldeep and Chahal bowl top-spinners.”
It’s a captivating art, this wrist spin. And these bowlers are turning games around in a mean batting world.
The bag of tricks
