Spin, A Potent Weapon in International Cricket

Ravichandran Ashwin, Rangana Herath and Yasir Shah may not quite be in the same league as Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Anil Kumble — their era truly marked the glory days for spin — but have put their art in focus when the bats are getting bigger and stronger and the boundary ropes nearer.

- S. Dinakar

The spinners are back in business. None more so than Ravichandran Ashwin who is slicing through line-ups, winning games, and hounding visiting batsmen with his beguiling variety.

The quickest to reach the landmark of 250 wickets in only 45 Tests — a phenomenal feat in itself — the off-spinner is well on his way to cricketing immortality, in case he has not already achieved it, if numbers are a yardstick.

TOUGHER TESTS AWAIT this 30 year-old Chennai bowler, away from familiar conditions and on the pitches of England and Australia. But then you have to give credit to the man — a genuine all-rounder with both time and composure with the willow — for earning the respect of the opponents.

Opposition teams see him as the No. 1 contemporary spinner in the world — an opinion shared by many a leading batsman including England’s Alastair Cook. And the mentally strong Ashwin has form and momentum in his favour going into the four-Test series against Australia after his demolition job against New Zealand and England at home.

Then there is a wily old left arm spinner who has emerged from the giant shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan to defeat batsmen with his drift and turn.

RANGANA HERATH’S 357 scalps in 78 Tests — he gave consistency and weight to the attack during difficult times in the post Muralitharan era — reflect his ability to strike. At 38, this rotund Sri Lankan continues to be a threat.

Completing a sub-continental mix of an exotic art is a leg-spinner from Pakistan, Yasir Shah. This 30-year-old bowler is an old-fashioned spinner who gives the ball air, rips his leg-spinners and sends down an effective googly.

A late bloomer at the international level, Yasir already has 124 victims in 23 Tests and lends a much-needed balance to a pace dominated Pakistan attack.