Spin could win yet again

Whatever positive results the Indian fast men, from Nissar to Nehra, have produced over the last 70 years, there is little doubt that spin has been India's traditional weapon. The fact that eight of the top ten Indian wicket takers in Tests are spinners is evidence of this, if at all any proof was necessary.

The pitches in South Africa are generally hard and bouncy and the pace bowlers have usually reaped a rich harvest. But there is also enough scope in these conditions for a spinner who can make the ball turn and lift. Kumble himself proved this nine years ago when, in four Tests, he took 18 wickets at 25.94 to head the Test figures.

We had one great spin trio in Gupte, Ghulam Ahmed and Mankad in the fifties. Through the sixties and seventies, there was the redoubtable spin quartet of Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna and Venkat, which won innumerable matches for the country, many from seemingly hopeless positions and with little support from the batsmen. It is highly unlikely that there will be a similar spin force in world cricket in future.

Since then, over a period of 20 years, the Indian spin attack has revolved around the likes of Doshi, Shastri, Yadav, Maninder, Sivaramakrishnan, Hirwani, Ayub, Kumble, Raju, Joshi, Chauhan, Sharandeep and Harbhajan. Despite the exemplary exploits of Kumble over the last decade, there has been a visible decline in the Indian spin bowling strength.

While this is because the medium pacers have also taken wickets, there is no denying that Kumble has largely had to trundle on his own. The very fact that he has taken 276 wickets in 61 Tests, with the next best over the same period being Raju's 93 wickets in 28 Tests, drives home this point. Over the last year, though, Kumble himself has been out of action due to a shoulder injury. In his absence the spin department looked emaciated but a combination of luck and a luckless opposition saw Harbhajan rise to the occasion with his dream haul against the Aussies earlier this year.

Since then, of course, Harbhajan has discovered that taking wickets is not always an easy task. He did not exactly cover himself with glory in the away Tests against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. Like Kumble, he too has had to be virtually on his own with no spin support. He is still a very skilled bowler. One does not take 32 wickets in three Tests ­ and against the best team in the world at that ­ only through good fortune. But the lurking feeling was that he could fare better with someone to relieve the pressure at the other end.

This is where the Kumble's return is most welcome. We have had two bowlers who have individually carried India's fortunes on their spinning shoulders. The prospect of their bowling in tandem is heartening.

It is not the first time they will be bowling together. They have combined fairly well previously too, most notably, given the present circumstances, in Zimbabwe three years ago. Conditions there are not very dissimilar to those prevailing in South Africa, and Kumble and Harbhajan shared 12 wickets, even if India lost the match.

The pitches in South Africa are generally hard and bouncy and the pace bowlers have usually reaped a rich harvest. But there is also enough scope in these conditions for a spinner who can make the ball turn and lift. Kumble himself proved this nine years ago when, in four Tests, he took 18 wickets at 25.94 to head the Test figures. Four years later, as the only spinner in all the games, he could not recapture this form, his eight wickets in three Tests costing him 48.50 apiece.

This time he will be encouraged that he will have Harbhajan to help him in the tweaking trade. Both have admitted that they are looking forward to working together. This kind of optimism on the part of the best two spin bowlers in the country can only augur well for Indian cricket. Who knows, happy times could be round the corner again for Indian spin, our traditional strength.