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.
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.
Denne historien er fra March 4, 2017-utgaven av Sportstar.
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Denne historien er fra March 4, 2017-utgaven av Sportstar.
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